Eclipse
by Euclid Crash
Summary: The Will of Fire. Inherited Will. The passage of time will forever be unhindered, and no man, or snake, can escape its grasp. The sun will rise in the east, and the moon will follow; day by day by day. But sometimes, sometimes the moon will overwhelm the sun.
1. Author's Intro and Prologue Father Time

Hello and welcome to the introduction to my story. The reason I've combined an author's note with what will be the prologue to the story is kinda weird but fairly simple: I just want to get all the information that I want to impart to you out of the way as quickly as I possibly can. In this note I'll be listing my aspirations and goals for the story as well as explanations for certain names and things I'll be using.

First of all, I was a Japanese student. As such, all jutsus, names, locations, etc. will be in Japanese. The bottom of each chapter will be a dictionary of sorts; there will be no spoilers for the next chapter nor any author notes at the bottom, so if you find that you don't understand the words I'm using, feel free to skim to the bottom of the page for a lexicon. I'll leave enough space so the ending of each chapter won't be spoiled accidentally. These "dictionaries" will only cover the more complicated words; words that are fairly common like Kuchiyose no jutsu, Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu, Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu, etc. will not have definitions. They're used too often and most everybody knows what they mean by now anyway. There's no point in my opinion. However some of the lesser known jutsus will have definitions for your liking, or if I don't do it often enough simply ask and I'll start defining more often and more specifically.

That said, I will likely not use any actual Japanese words in place of real words. Examples for this would be words like "Hai" or "Arigatou". In the world of Naruto they speak Japanese, but I find inserting random Japanese words to be somewhat tacky, but I mean no disrespect to other authors who do use them in place of their English counterparts. Sometimes it works, but most of the time it feels out of place. So I will attempt to not do so for my story. If it does happen, it will be an indication that it's of extreme importance that the word is used. As for verbal tics (_dattebayo, dattebane, _etc.) they will be translated to the best of my ability as, technically, they have no direct translation in the first place. And trust me when I say that a huge amount of characters in Naruto have verbal tics, if you haven't already noticed. When it comes to Shikamaru's "_mendokusei_" it will be translated as "pain in the ass", not "troublesome". The reason for this is due to the actual translation of the word itself which implies a pain in the lower back. It was also the first translated version of the word when Naruto was originally fansubbed way back in the day before the kid friendly "official" version changed it to "troublesome". I don't like it, and I won't use it. These are shinobi, not little kids. Saying swear words are prevalent in a military environment is like saying the ocean is damp. I grew up in the military. It's pretty ridiculous. As for "_dattebayo_", it will be translated as "y'know?!" which is about as close as it can get to an English localization. I'm sure some people out there know people who say such things all the time even if they have no purpose or reason for being in the sentence. That's the kind of nonsensical word Naruto uses all the time, and it's currently being adapted and used as the manga translation of the tic. I will still be using honorifics, though.

Second, events in this story will vastly differ from canon, and you'll see why fairly quickly. Personally I find it incredibly boring reading the same bits of canon with only slight changes constantly. A good example would be the Chuunin Exam arc. I've read that arc so many times now it's become nauseating and I typically just want it to end as quickly as possible. In this story the Chuunin Exams will still occur, they have to for plot and character development, but they will be drastically different from what one would normally expect. At least that's the plan anyway. You'll see when the time comes, which won't be that far off.

Which brings me to my third issue. I greatly dislike early Naruto. A lot of people love the 12 year olds duking it out like kids, but I find it irritating when the major events of the story happen after the time-skip. And, for personal reasons, I simply enjoy writing characters closer to my own age. Writing 12 year olds like they're in their mid-teens is strange to me. It works in manga and anime to an extent, but in fanfiction it just feels weird. Especially with what I have planned for the relationships in the story.

And that's my fourth and final point. Relationships. This _will_ be a Naruto/Hinata story first and foremost. I've read other pairings, but, quite honestly, reading Naruto with anyone other than Hinata makes me feel physically ill. I'm not joking. Naruto/Hinata is so ingrained in canon at this point that any other pairing simply does not feel natural. The same is true for Shikamaru and Temari. Any other pairings will be a whim and not a focus. Too many cooks spoil the broth so to speak. It can become way too chaotic and sappy when you've got to deal with five different pairings at once. That's not to say that any of the Naruto/Hinata moments I have in mind won't be sappy; there _will_ be fluff.

Going back to the third point a bit, the time skip will be much longer than it was in canon for reasons that will become obvious. Because of this, relationships will hopefully have a more mature feel to them and I hope to write them as naturally as possible. I've been in my fair share of relationships so I at least have that to draw from. If they seem odd to you, it probably would explain a lot about my personal life as well, but I digress.

In the end, I've waited a very long time for my chance to write a Naruto fanfiction. I'm a perfectionist, so to speak, and by this time in the manga almost everything has been revealed and I will attempt to not retcon anything that I've written in order to match new canon as it comes out. Furthermore, my plan is to at least try to post a chapter a month, if not more. I'm currently unemployed so that leaves me with huge chunks of time to sit around and think and write. Know this: I hate unfinished stories more than anything. My promise to you is that I will not suddenly fall of the face of the planet and leave the story unfinished. It's like blue-balling a reader, and no one deserves that if they enjoy the story. Even if it's just one of you, I will write until a resolution is reached.

Thanks for taking the time to read all of that. It may not have been necessary, but I wanted to get it out of the way. Author's notes at the top of chapters tend to detract from the immersion of a story, and I don't want that in mine. I will personally respond to any questions or criticism you may have as long as you write to me, and that will be my version of author's notes to you.

Well, now that you know the method to my madness let's get started, yeah?

Disclaimer: I do not own anything concerning the Narutoverse.

_**Prologue**_

_Father Time_

Mankind has been known for many great and horrible things. Art, war, love, hate, memories etched in stone or onto paper, monolithic structures that seem to transcend the human mind with their enormity. All of which attempt to spit in the face of mankind's one, unforgiving and undefeated natural enemy: Time.

Time itself seems unsurmountable, and to some extent it is. No matter what medicine mankind creates to prolong life, no matter what certain sages attempt to create a facsimile of immortality, the only thing man and woman can attempt in order to combat time itself is inherited will. Inherited will. The destiny of the age and the dreams of the people. These are things that will not be stopped. So long as man continues to pursue the meaning of "freedom", these things will never cease to be.

Unfortunately, for one particular man, these were the last things on his mind as he stood, half-drunk, in his hotel room.

He had been incredibly lucky that night. His stories were usually so far fetched that most simply passed them off as the ramblings of a drunken has been who had either seen too much, drank too much, or suffered from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder. All of which certainly could be true, but in the case of this one man everything he spoke was the truth and the conviction with which he spoke had enraptured a beautiful lady in her thirties. She was also slightly drunk, but the man _did_ have a remarkable charisma about him, and his looks..well he certainly didn't look any older than forty, and his muscles and physique certainly proved that his virility was still going strong. So she had no problem taking up his invitation to join him in his rented room.

That's what she thought anyway.

It was at this moment, this moment of supreme bliss and happiness that the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myouboku, Jiraiya-sama came face to face with his mortal enemy.

A limp member.

His protestations fell on deaf ears as the stunning woman left in a huff of embarrassment and humiliation. Surely it'd be back to normal in no time! Right? He wasn't _that_ drunk for crying out loud! This had never happened before! Just a second! A minute! Ten minutes!

As the excuses fell out of his mouth Jiraiya couldn't help but feel old. Well, technically he was old. But he was young at heart! Surely that counted for something, right? Why the hell did this have to happen?! Now?! Of all times _now_?! He became so angry he wound up punching a hole straight through his bed. This, of course, made him even angrier. How could he punch a hole in a bed but couldn't get it going on _in_ the bed?!

Jiraiya sat down cross-legged in the middle of the floor, naked. Staring straight at the offending part of his body. He simply couldn't understand what had happened. He knew, of course, that drinking in excess causes these sorts of problems, but he had only had a couple rounds of sake. As his frowned deepened he desperately tried to ignore the one voice of reason that kept echoing through his head: He was getting old.

Age. He hadn't ever really thought about his age that much. Sure, he wasn't quite as strong as he was in his prime, but he had attributed that to his shift of focus to his "research" and authorship. Sometimes you just slack off in training when you find something else worthwhile to spend your time on. Of course he was also a spy, one of the best in fact, but he had more than enough strength to deal with being caught (which was a rare occurrence if an occurrence at all). He sighed. Maybe Sarutobi-sensei was right. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage, was regaled as the Professor of Shinobi, the admitted strongest shinobi to ever grace the earth in his prime. Yet look at him now; he looked like a prune!

Jiraiya quickly shook his head rapidly to get that mental image out of his mind completely. He didn't need more disappointment at the moment. Sighing again, the great sage stood to pull some clothes on; he knew being naked on the floor was a pretty pitiful sight and didn't want anyone to catch someone as legendary as he in such a compromising situation.

"What the hell am I going to do now?" Jiraiya muttered to himself. "I can't stick around here, who knows if that woman's a gossip. I can't be walking down the streets being eye-balled like some limp doll."

Jiraiya gritted his teeth. The very thought caused his face to flush in embarrassment. He placed his face in his hands, not even thinking. Just sitting there for a time. How much time, he didn't know. Time was not something he wanted to think about at the moment, but his very life seemed to flash before his eyes without him even wanting it to.

He saw his old teammates, Tsunade-hime, Orochimaru (the bastard), Sarutobi-sensei and himself. He grinned at the memories he and his sensei experienced checking out the bathhouses with his own self-styled jutsu. He didn't even know where Nagato, Yahiko and Konan came from, but those years teaching those kids had been a blur to him; with their supposed death he felt as if he had failed on a spectacular level. He recalled his own squad when he was a jounin instructor. Minato was at the forefront, flanked by his teammates. He saw Kushina, belly already in the third trimester. Naruto..what a stupid name he had come up with. But they loved it; they wanted their child to be named after his only serious original character.

The wetness that Jiraiya felt in the palms of his hands surprised and shocked him. Was he really that sentimental? What had happened to him? This was not the Jiraiya he knew! But still..all those memories..He suddenly felt very cold. Alone. But what did that matter? He'd been alone for decades, only returning to Konoha when necessary. Like Tsunade, that place held too many bitter memories for him.

A bark of laughter. Jiraiya was laughing at his own foolishness. Going through all those deaths and memories he came to a sudden realization: he wasn't going to be around forever. His spy network was integral to Konoha's wellbeing and protection. Who knew how many more years he had left? Sure Sarutobi-sensei was decades older, but the old man was Hokage. The worst thing that man had to deal with on a daily basis was the amount of paperwork and those insufferable elders he called teammates; Koharu, Homura, and even that old hawk Danzo. Things couldn't keep going like this forever. If they did, terrible and tragic things would happen to his home and that was something he would not allow. Jiraiya had spent too long and had exerted too much effort into the protection of Konoha to see it crumble to internal politicking.

What did the old man always talk about? That's right.. The Will of Fire. Maybe it was time for the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myouboku to light his own fire. Jiriaya grinned. Yes. Yes that would work. He needed to think about the best way to go about it, but he had plenty of time to consider things on his way back. He wondered if he still had it in him; that Will of Fire. If he did those brats he was going to take with him were going into a world that'd probably scare them out of their wits.

Another bark of laughter, and with that the Toad Man vanished from his room, a few ryo spinning on the ground for his keep. The five coin landed face up.

* * *

The five ryo coin: For those unaware, the five yen coin is considered to be good luck in Japanese culture. It's believed to bring prosperity and good fortune to those that give them, and most people will put a five yen coin in their wallets or purses as the first bit of currency.


	2. Selection

Disclaimer:I do not own anything in the Narutoverse

_**Chapter 1**_

_Selection_

The best way to describe Konohagakure, if one had never been there before, would be tranquil. The Third Great Shinobi war had ended decades ago, and, while the city itself still hadn't fully recovered, the hustle and bustle of its citizenry along with the buzz of goods and commodities being sold in the streets exemplified a thriving community of peaceful, good natured citizens. The model example of a happy community.

Of course that was only if one had never been there before.

Shinobi had long ago been integrated into the citizenry. To a casual observer, one would find it hard to differentiate between the two if it weren't for the flak vests many Chuunin and Jounin still chose to wear. The Genin themselves were even harder to identify, with only their hitai-ate showing proof of their class. Especially when those same Genin were generally painting fences or chasing cats or dogs around the city. Most were still kids, so they could easily be mistaken. It was the older Genin that proved a truly bizarre sight.

This sight was what greeted the Sannin Jiraiya as he stepped through the giant gates of Konoha: a middle-aged man with a mustache fighting tooth and nail with a cat on the ground. And, oddly enough, the cat seemed to be winning. For the first time in a very long time, the Toad Sage was at a complete loss for words, instead just raising an eyebrow at the only slightly younger man wrestling with a cat.

For sanity's sake, Jiraiya figured he should do something about this since off to the side, the two gate keepers, Kotetsu and Izumo (as per usual), were doing nothing but laughing their respective asses off at the strange and baffling battle taking place.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Slamming his hands to the ground, Jiraiya summoned forth a middling sized toad. "Hey, Gamayama, help the poor guy out would ya? He's making a mockery of a shinobi village at it's front door."

The black and purple toad saluted his boss, and with a quick whip of his tongue the cat was entangled in a mess of sticky oils and rough tongue. Screeching, the cat refusing to just give up, it began squirming around like a violent squall. Jiraiya immediately helped the poor middle-aged genin onto his feet, dusting him off in the process.

"Oh God...Thank you so much, er.." the Genin stood stock still as he gazed at a man nearly everyone in the city would immediately recognize. Whether that was a good or bad thing depended on the gender of the individual. Luckily the man was in awe of his savior. "Jiraiya-sama! Oh dear Lord, I'm so, so sorry you had to witness such a humiliating thing. That cat, Tora, is the Fire Daimyo's wife's prized possesion; but it escapes nearly every week. It's gradually learned how to avoid detection from us and also developed evasive tactics that make it incredibly vicious to catch. You must be careful as well, sir!"'

Jiraiya had hardly paid any attention to the ramblings of the man, instead focusing his attention on the two Chuunin who were now staring wide-eyed at the newcomer, and simply waved it off as if it were nothing. "Look, don't worry about it alright? I just couldn't stand there at the front gates and watch that kind of scene play out when this village is _supposed_ to be considered the greatest of the five hidden villages. Isn't that right, Kotetsu, Izumo?"

Both Chuunin gulped hard at the piercing gaze of the Sannin. They knew him to be a bit of a jokester, but they also knew he had a deep pride and loyalty to his village being the only remaining Sannin to not leave Konoha permanently.

"Ah, right you are sir, Jiraiya-sama, sir!" Kotetsu fumbled his words as he hastened a sloppy salute. Mentally he cursed himself for being so lax in front of this living legend.

"Right..Well, try and at least do something on that job to prevent other people from thinking we've got a stray animal pandemic, yeah?" Rolling his eyes, Jiraiya continued on down the road at a leisurely pace deciding to take in all the sights and sounds of his home.

"Sir, yes sir!" Kotetsu and Izumo both echoed each other as they stood at attention for perhaps one of the first times in their lives doing this job. Then quickly collapsed back into their respective chairs letting out a couple breaths they hadn't realized they had been holding in.

"Man..It still never gets any easier when you see one of them." Izumo rubbed his forehead feeling a headache coming on.

"You're telling me. But what is he doing back? And why through the front gate? I know he reports directly to the Hokage, but from what I understand he usually just pops in and out like a ghost. I mean, the man's a sage for crying out loud." Kotetsu lazily scratched the top of his head, pondering this strange turn of events.

Izumo didn't really have an answer, "But whatever it is, it usually winds up changing things around a bit too much, don't you think?" He turned to his partner expecting some kind of explanation.

Except Kotetsu was already asleep. Again.

* * *

Konoha was basically how Jiraiya remembered it. Not too loud, but not too lazy (he silently exempted the Nara district). The streets veritably hummed with activity. The sage himself had been practically everywhere on the Elemental Continent, and then some, but Konohagakure still had something special about it. Perhaps it was the forest the Shodai Hokage had made to give his gift of life to the village. Those trees were certainly special in their own right, and all the foliage gave a certain grace and beauty to the village despite all the pipes and electrical poles that had been erected over the years. The clash of nature and the modern gave Konoha a certain aesthetic that you really couldn't find anywhere else. Hell, people had even begun to build houses into the trees themselves Jiraiya noticed. That spiral, encased walkway was certainly new to him. He'd have to check it out later.

For now, he was a bit preoccupied with his meeting with the Sandaime. He knew what he wanted to get, he knew who he wanted (mostly), and he knew how to get it, but the main problem was going to come after his meeting with the Hokage; _that_ he was certain of.

"Well, I'll just take it as it comes. Maybe it won't be as hard as I'm imagining," Jiraiya mused to himself as he looked up at the Hokage monument for the first time. The sight still impressed him: that monolithic stone sculpture still standing tall above the village. It's ever watchful protectors. The Shodai's stern, but soft gaze. The Nidaime's graceful expression. The Sandaime's wisdom. The Yondaime's beard and monocle.

…

"Wait, what th-" Jiraiya was interrupted suddenly when a loud voice echoed throughout the entirety of the village.

"_**NAAAAARUUUUUTOOOOOOO!**_" Jiraiya flinched. From even so far away that had hurt his eardrums. Something that hadn't happened since he and Tsunade had been teammates.

Jiraiya blinked for a second. "Naruto? No way. That can't possibly be-" again he was interrupted as a furiously speeding ball of orange and blond smacked into his stomach, doubling him over from surprise.

"OW! Hey, watch it jii-san!" The right half of his whiskered face was being rubbed by his hand, his left blue eye distinct among his other features. "Oh crap, I gotta go, y'know?!" The kid sprung up and sprinted off somewhere unknown shouting back "OH! AND I GUESS I'M SORRY, Y'KNOW!" Then the kid was gone.

Jiraiya was still flat on his butt staring at the vanishing kid that was supposedly his godson. The physical resemblance to his father and the personality of his mother were both readily apparent and anyone who had known the two would have had to have been an idiot not to know who's kid that was. A loud panting shook Jiraiya out of his brief reverie, and the sage turned to see a clearly overly exerted young man with a scar across his face trying to catch his breath.

"I'm...so..sorry, sir." Iruka panted out, his face towards the ground, "Naruto's...a bit of a...prankster..and...he doesn't exactly...have...manners..So...as his teacher...I must apologize...for his rudeness." Iruka still almost gotten his wind back, and without a second look back started chasing the blond boy again, still yelling his name.

That name.

Jiraiya gave him that name. He had almost forgotten about it until his.."experience"..the previous week. Surprising all around him who actually _did_ know who he was _and_ what that _thing_ was, the great Sannin erupted into a fit of deep laughter. Choosing not to question the man, the citizenry decided to go ahead on their way, figuring if _Jiraiya_ didn't care, they shouldn't either.

Jiraiya's laughter lasted for quite some time, and the man was practically in tears from laughing so hard at that kid. While he wasn't on his short list, Naruto still had made quite the impression on the old man. He'd have to check up on him as he grew up, just to make sure he was making out all right for himself.

He had no idea just how wrong he was at that time, and he would forever regret and curse himself and his own stupidity as well as barely containing his own personal rage against Konoha and its supposed perfect citizens.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at his desk, puffing idly on his pipe glancing over some documents. Apparently there was a conflict between a bakery and a smithy. The baker himself had written a drawn out request that the smith be placed somewhere far, far away from his place of business, claiming the goods he was producing now had a slight taste of steel and iron. The smith didn't seem so much as to care, claiming the baker should just market his goods predominately to shinobi. They didn't seem to care that much about the taste of metal, or blood for that matter, according to the smith. This had caused the baker to petition the Hokage for intervention; there was no way the smith was taking this seriously.

The Sandaime sat the papers down, sighing and rubbing his forehead at the same time. "Why on earth did I ever let Minato convince me to take this god-forsaken job again?" He, of course, knew the answer to that, but the thought was so depressing he disregarded it in favor of simply complaining to complain. Sometimes it did wonders for the stress.

It was at the moment that Hiruzen dropped his hand that he stared face-to-face with a tall man dressed mostly in red with a long shock of white hair. He'd know that man anywhere, and a slight smile escaped onto his face.

"Well, well! If it isn't Konoha's prodigal son come home! Jiraiya, son, please sit! I'm sure there is much to discuss, what with this rare visitation." The Sandaime's subtle phrasing wasn't lost on Jiraiya. He expected bad news. Jiraiya usually came with it after all.

This time, however, the Toad Sage simply grinned as he grabbed a seat, "Thanks for the invitation, sensei." This slightly shocked the Sandaime. Jiraiya never sat down. He usually refused the invitation in favor of getting his information across as quickly as possible before popping out the window like some random gust of wind that just happened to blow by.

"Hmm..Seems like you've got something on your mind, Jiraiya my boy. Go ahead and let me know the bad news first, despite the grave seriousness of the matter I'm sure it's much more important than bread that tastes like copper."

Jiraiya quirked his eyebrow, but decided not to press the matter. "No, no! God no! There's nothing bad to report on my end," mentally adding '_That you need to know about_', "I'm here, actually, because I think it's time for me to start seriously considering the future security of Konoha."

Hiruzen nearly fell out of his seat, but his pipe did hit the ground. Jiraiya? Taking responsibility? This had to be a joke. The man had refused the position of Hokage saying he preferred his own freedom and didn't want to be tied down to anyone or anything that he didn't like. "What are you talking about, son? I've never known you to..well..act like this."

"What? Like an old man?" Jiraiya laughed at that. It certainly didn't make much sense to him either. "Well, let's just say I had a bit of a mid-life crisis while on the road." Immediately Jiraiya became serious. "Neither of us are going to be around forever, Sarutobi-sensei."

The old Hokage sagely nodded his head. "Yes, that is certainly true. We're not getting any younger. But that's what the future generations we're raising are for, aren't they? The Will of Fire is strong in Konohagakure, that much is certain. I've seen it myself in the academy. Umino Iruka is a fine instructor, and he understands the importance of this next generation of shinobi far better than any actual shinobi in the field."

Jiraiya scratched his chin in thought, "Iruka, huh? So that's what his name was.."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya's musings out loud, "You met Iruka? How long have you been in town? Usually you come straight here."

Jiraiya laughed slightly at that, "Yeah, well, I ran into some middle-aged Genin wrestling with a cat at the front gates so I decided to take a stroll through the town, seeing if everything was going well."

The Sandaime slapped his face with his right hand, "That damned Tora..If only that woman would realize just why it runs away from her." He sighed, rubbing his forehead again, "So? What else did you see?"

"Not a whole lot, actually. Though you might want to check out the Hokage monument sometime soon. Minato might find it funny, but I seriously doubt most of the citizens would appreciate that kind of..'art'." Jiraiya started chuckling again. "That's how I met Iruka actually. After a blond haired kid with whiskers barreled into my gut." Jiraiya subconsciously rubbed his stomach at the brat's charge.

At a loss for words at what Jiraiya had just said, Hiruzen hummed slightly to himself. "So. You met Naruto as well I see." He knew the relationship between Jiraiya and the boy, and didn't want to bring back anything unpleasant for his former student.

Jiraiya scratched the back of his head idly. "Yeah, I suppose you could say I did in a way. He really does resemble his parents. You'd have to be blind not to see it." Jiraiya's eyes seemed to be drifting to a far off place. Sarutobi Hiruzen needed to stop it before it went any further.

"So, Jiraiya, what've you come to me for? You mentioned the future of Konoha, but haven't exactly explained what you have in mind." He hoped that would snap Jiraiya back to reality. He was lucky.

"Oh! Right, that! Well, see, I came here to request a team."

Hiruzen literally stumbled as he tried to stand up from his chair. This was completely unexpected.

"A team? Jiraiya..you haven't had a team since Minato was a child. What's gotten into you?" Hiruzen was suddenly seriously questioning if Jiraiya had hit his head a bit too hard or something very serious had happened to him.

"Yeah, well..Like I told you, I kind of sort of had a mid-life crisis." Jiraiya mumbled the last sentence a bit, but it was still audible. "I came to the conclusion that if no one picks up for me when I'm gone, our spy network will crumble into shambles. I, we, can't let that happen. I've worked too hard to set it up for too long. If my network crumbles so does Konoha's outside protection. If anything, I need to train some replacements."

Hiruzen slowly nodded. He saw the wisdom in Jiraiya's thoughts. They certainly weren't getting any younger, and if Jiraiya's network collapsed Konoha would be placed in extreme jeopardy from any number of outside sources. "Well, despite our still repairing forces, I'm sure I could lend you a couple of Jounin or Chuunin to go with you. I can't risk having any ANBU leave the village; you know why."

Jiraiya thought of Danzo immediately. That was certainly a problem, but with what he had in mind what his old sensei offered him simply wouldn't work. "No, sensei. That's not what I'm asking for."

"What on earth could you possibly be referring to then? You can't seriously be considering Genin, Jiraiya!"

"No, not necessarily..I'm thinking more before they become Genin."

"What?!" Hiruzen was suddenly flabbergasted, "You're not serious! They're nothing but children! There's no way they could handle what you do!"

Jiraiya suddenly stood up as well, in defiance. "And that's exactly why it has to be them! Trained shinobi have no concept of what it takes to operate this kind of network! I had to create it from the ground up, and it took a hell of a lot of trial and error before even _I_ got it working properly! No, I need fresh minds, good minds, and skills necessary to be excellent spies! I need a Nara, a Hyuuga, and any other kid that excels at stealth and deception!"

Hiruzen was stunned speechless at the declaration. He honestly didn't know what to say to that. A Nara and a Hyuuga? The only ones available were Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Hinata, both of which would be almost impossible to pry from their homes. How did Jiraiya think this was ever going to work?

"Jiraiya.." Hiruzen was halted from his statement as Jiraiya raised his hand to stop him.

"Look, sensei, I know what I'm asking for and I'm well aware of the danger involved. I plan on training these kids, like I trained Minato. They're not going to find a better teacher than me, and you know that. In fact, I highly doubt they'd even be in any danger unless I choose to place them in a compromising situation. You know how I can't be found if I don't want to be."

Hiruzen had to admit that Jiraiya did have a point. He had an impeccable track record of mission success and there certainly weren't any better Jounin sensei he could think of that would provide the children the amount of protection and guidance Jiraiya could offer. But still..

"Jiraiya, the only Nara and Hyuuga available are Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Hinata, both of which are expected to graduate from the academy in a day or so. With that in mind, I can't allow you to take them without first allowing them to prove they are capable of at least being Genin. Not only that, but you'll have to receive permission from their parents."

This was what Jiraiya was afraid of. He knew the Hyuuga and their overprotective nature regarding the Byakugan. The Nara probably wouldn't be much of a problem unless..

"Nara Shikamaru is also set to graduate with Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji. You know what that means."

'_Shit_'. Jiraiya placed a fake grin on his face, "Yeah, I hear you. I didn't expect it to be easy, but that certainly does put a new spin on things for me. I wouldn't worry too much about the Nara, though. I've got some ideas to convince Shikaku to help out despite his obvious desire to reinvent the Ino-Shika-Cho group."

Hiruzen sighed yet again, "And what of the Hyuuga? Hinata is the perceived heiress of the clan. I highly doubt Hiashi will just let you waltz in and take the future leader of his clan away from him."

Jiraiya frowned, "Hm..That could be a problem. But you know me, I'll just take it as it comes. If it all falls apart I've got some other ideas, but the main issue I've got now is the third kid. I was thinking an Aburame, but honestly that's not quite what I'm looking for. I need a back-up powerhouse that excels in stealth, but none of the existing clans have those sorts of traits. The last clan that had anythig like that was..the..Namikaze.." As he spoke Jiraiya felt realization sweep over him and a sudden dread creep up his spine. There was only one of those left. One very specific kid with those qualities, but there was no way..He couldn't possibly take that kid.

Hiruzen seemed to read Jiraiya's mind, "That's right. The only one that fits what you're looking for is Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

The swing was his safe-haven. Naruto didn't know why, but whenever he sat on the swing it felt like he was able to cut off all the pain and anguish he felt. All he had to do was shut his eyes and ears to the happy cries of the graduating students. A third time. He failed again, for the third time. He didn't understand. He practiced daily, much more than anyone he knew. He knew exactly what he had to do, but he still couldn't pull off that damned jutsu. Hell, he'd been practicing it since he was eight! That's four years of nothing but failure! Maybe all those parents were right to keep their kids away from him..

He quickly wiped away the gradually forming tears on his face. He wouldn't fall to that. He wouldn't let them take him down, not without fighting with everything he had in him. He _will_ be the best shinobi in the village, y'know?! Screw the hitai-ate! If he couldn't get one of those he'd just have to become Hokage through sheer will! He knew it was stupid, foolish, and ignorant, but he couldn't help it. His grief was starting to overwhelm him, and if it was one thing Naruto couldn't accept it was despair. It was his mortal enemy, an enemy that reared its ugly head with every passing look he received, with every stone thrown his way, every "accidental" garbage disposal, every store that kicked him out or overcharged him by at least 500%. He just didn't understand _why_, y'know?!

It was at that moment of his deepest grief that Mizuki-sensei approached him and gave him an offer that he couldn't possibly believe. Or refuse.

* * *

Jiraiya cracked his neck as he made his way to the Nara district. He always liked the place; because of the Nara's very nature it was a very lush neighborhood. The Naras liked their shadows, it seemed, as trees sprouted from everywhere and everything. Some houses were intentionally made in respect of this nature, allowing the trees to grow at odd angles while the buildings were constructed to allow the maximum amount of growth for the plants. It was also quiet. A testament to the Nara's lazy nature.

The Nara men's laziness was legendary, as was their taste in wives. For every lazy, shogi playing Nara male there was an equally stern and aggressive female at their side forcing them into doing something productive. It was probably genetic. Hell, it had to be as it was the only thing preventing the Naras from wasting away into extinction. Jiraiya chuckled lightly, thanking all that was he was never born a Nara. He had gotten enough of that sort of punishment from Tsunade alone and he still had the deep scars to prove it.

Whistling at the classy Nara Shikaku estate, Jiraiya casually knocked on the shoji entrance. He was impressed with the whole zen nature of the grounds. It was relaxing just looking at it. As the shoji opened to reveal Shikaku, surprisingly enough, Shikaku's lazy eyes suddenly widened at his vistor.

"J-Jiraiya-sama! What a..well, what an interesting surprise. Please, come in," Shikaku was very good at maintaining a calm demeanor at all times, and this was certainly one of those times where he felt grateful for all the practice he had had in his life time, "I'll have my wife prepare some tea."

Jiraiya gracefully accepted Shikaku's invitation and found himself in the Nara's living room. A relatively simply tatami matted room with a square lacquered table in the center and some stone artifacts scattered tastefully around the edges of the room itself. Jiraiya settled down on one of the leg cushions as Shikaku's wife hastily brought out some tea for Jiraiya-sama and her husband before leaving the room just as quickly. Whatever Jiraiya came for, she certainly was not the person he needed to speak with. No matter how curious or stubborn she was, she wasn't going to intrude on the legendary Sannin so rudely.

"Shikaku, I have to say I'm pretty impressed with your place," Jiraiya attempted some small talk as he took a sip of his tea, "But I think you already know I'm not here to talk about aesthetics in architecture." He set his cup down as he waited for Shikaku to relax a bit.

"No, I guessed as much from the moment I saw you outside," Shikaku started, "One rarely receives a house call from a Sannin and when it does happen it usually doesn't bode too well for those involved."

'_Ah..So that's why he's on edge. Why don't I ever hear these things? Is that why people always freak out when I'm around? Oh well, I can try and fix that reputation later._' Jiraiya neither smiled nor frowned at the statement, but kept a neutral face on.

"Well, to be honest I'm not exactly here for anything other than a small chat and a proposition for you." Jiraiya _did_ smile a little at Shikaku's awkward expression; as if he didn't know what to make of Jiraiya's statement. It seems the Great Toad Sage had stumped a Nara, no small feat indeed.

"Hmm..I see.." Shikaku said slowly take a drink of his tea, "And what sort of proposition did you intend to offer?"

"Well, as it's fairly obvious no one gets any younger, I'm here to ask your permission to take your son and train him for the future foundation of Konoha's spy network as well as it's internal protection."

Shikaku nearly choked on his tea. "Y-you mean Shikamaru? But he just graduated the academy today! A Jounin instructor has already been set aside for him as well as his teammates!"

"I know full well about the circumstances, Shikaku," Jiraiya was gravely serious, "But for the sake of the future of Konoha the reincarnation of the Ino-Shika-Cho team is going to have to be put on hold for a little bit. I know your families are close and have been looking forward to this day for a long time, but sometimes the greater good needs to be considered."

Shikaku just sat there, stunned. This had been completely out of his range of ideas as to why Jiraiya had shown up. True, Jiraiya was right about one thing, the greater good always needs to be considered despite personal reservations and desires. "You said 'on hold'. Why?"

"Knowing how the Naras think, Shikamaru is only necessary for the first part of my plan. His position is to be one of inside protection, not outside. For the time being, he would be placed under my care and watchful eye as I instruct him on the intricacies of politics and what it means for Konoha. As I'm sure you're well aware, Konoha does not solely have enemies on the outside of its great walls. There is a shadow war going on in the upper echelons of the Hokage's tower, and I believe Shikamaru will have to be the one who is to be relied on in those halls. Shikaku, you're too preoccupied with your clan. It can't be you. Furthermore, your time spent as a shinobi is actually a hindrance in this case."

Before Shikaku could retort, Jiraiya continued, "Shikamaru will also be trained as a shinobi, but with a very specific bent towards looking beneath the underneath. As a Nara he has the intelligence to do so where others do not. That is why I am asking for your acceptance of my proposal." At this, Jiraiya bowed deep, placing his hands on his knees to show his deference to Shikaku.

He was at a loss. Shikaku understood perfectly what Jiraiya was aiming to accomplish, but children? It then dawned on him that children were innocent. They were basically unmodified clay ready to be shaped into whatever form was available. Shikaku set down his tea and closed his eyes for a time, taking his own thinking pose.

Jiraiya had leaned back up into his sitting position, waiting on a response. He knew Shikaku to be a reasonable man, so he wasn't too worried about the answer.

"Alright then," Shikaku opened his eyes, "I accept your proposition. So long as when he returns he can integrate into the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, I see no downsides to this."

Jiraiya grinned. One down, two to go.

* * *

Hyuuga Hiashi was widely criticized as a man with unyielding vision but vision that solely focused on his clan and its well-being. Not to his face of course. That would more than likely end in a very nasty way. He was, of course, also known for his seeming cruelty. Hiashi knew the rumors, but declined to combat them. What did he care what those from outside his clan had to say about him? They didn't deserve the attention.

Hiashi was in his study, a modest room with a low, very expensive looking table, several bookcases against the walls containing scrolls and parchments containing jutsu techniques, clan resources, and other similar documents, and two seating cushions. He never allowed more than one guest at a time into his personal study for various security reasons. The guest's cushion was also positioned in such a way that allowed Hiashi to quickly strike the offender, if that is what they were, down in an instant if it was called for.

However, on this particular day the Toad Sannin Jiraiya sat across from him, casually drinking the tea that had been brought in by one of his branch members. Hiashi's face was impassive, as it normally was, but he was still prone to emotions. Overwhelming curiosity being chief among them at the moment.

"Jiraiya-sama, I am indeed pleased and even feel grace for having you come to call on me, but I must confess I have no idea why you would come all the way out to the Hyuuga estate."

Hiashi's statement was not without some level of apprehension; The Hyuuga compound was indeed very far out of the way from most everything else in the village. It was its location that provided the Hyuuga the safety and defense they desired, ever since the Kumo Incident of nine years ago. Hiashi had made a strong point of defense afterward, and as such the compound was never without at least fifteen branch members prowling the grounds on alert status. It was a heavy task for them, but they truly didn't have much choice in the matter.

Jiraiya calmly set his cup down and looked deep into Hiashi's pale eyes. Those calculating, cold eyes that Jiraiya never really liked. "Well, Hiashi-dono," Hiashi's imperceptible eye twitch at any other honorific from 'sama' didn't go unnoticed, "I've come to you with a proposition."

"And what sort of proposition would that be, Jiraiya-sama?" Hiashi did not like where this was going. A proposition? Jiraiya was practically asking a favor from the head of the Hyuuga, not a small task to be sure.

"Well, to be short, I've come to ask that you allow me to train your daughter."

Hiashi's now very obviously narrowed eyes expressed his instant dislike of the proposition.

"Certainly, training underneath the guidance of a Sannin is a great honor, but I believe Hanabi would be best served training underneath the guidance of myself in the style of Jyuuken. The intricacies of such a style can only be honed by those of the Hyuuga clan."

Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this. "Ah..No, Hiashi-dono. I meant Hinata."

Hiashi's eyes returned to their neutral position. "Hinata? In all due deference to your status Jiraiya-sama, you must be joking."

Jiraiya sighed. He knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"Hinata is not worth training. She is weak and unwilling to perform as a proper shinobi, let alone a Hyuuga. The fact she even graduated from the academy was merely a stroke of sheer luck on her part." Hiashi was confident of this. Hinata had no future as a shinobi nor as an heiress. Her weakness harmed the very balance he had set in place for the Hyuuga over decades.

Jiraiya himself was taken aback. _That's_ what he's concerned with?

"I assure you, Hiashi-dono, no harm would come to her. The Byakugan would remain safe under my watch and the chances of her being noticed are slim to none outside these walls." Jiraiya quickly rattled off what he considered to be the more important aspects that he had expected to combat, but Hiashi merely sighed.

"If you feel you need that useless daughter of mine, you are free to use her as you see fit. Though I do not believe you have made a wise decision."

Jiraiya was about ready to clock the man. He was referring to his daughter, _his daughter_ as garbage! He hadn't missed the subtle inference when Hiashi said 'daughter' when he really thought 'trash' in his own mind. Gritting his teeth to calm himself down, Jiraiya placed the best fake smile he could as he shut his eyes in order for his rage to not become too obvious.

"I greatly appreciate your willingness on your part to aid in the future protection of our village and clans."

With what he considered to be a quick end, Jiraiya hastily made his exit from the Hyuuga compound before his plans fell to ruin due to his unbridled anger. Back outside, Jiraiya got as far away as possible before snapping a tree in half to release his pent up frustration with that man. Oh, Hiashi was going to regret those words, those feelings. He would see to it that Hinata, before any of those other brats, was going to get the training she deserved and needed to make that bastard Hiashi eat a crow.

Back on the main streets of Konoha, it was getting late. Jiraiya still hadn't decided on what to do about the recommendation of Naruto. On the one hand, the old man had given his utmost praise to the kid and his ability to slip in and out of the most dangerous and guarded of locations without being spotted by ANBU. That was certainly impressive, if true, but the kid clearly didn't have any chakra control. Jiraiya had found out earlier he had failed the examination for a third time. Sure it was probably the damn Kyuubi's fault for his wild chakra control, but Jiraiya still didn't think the kid had half the ability the Sandaime said he had.

He'd have to think about this some more in the morning, but for now it was time to get a drink to forget what Hiashi had just done.

* * *

Naruto lay panting on the ground, the Forbidden Scroll splayed out before him. Grinning to himself, he could hardly wait to show Iruka what he could do! Screw those regular bunshin, y'know! It had taken a lot out of him, he still didn't quite understand some of the basic concepts of chakra control, but he had actually done it! He'd created a real clone! A clone you can touch and use to attack! Those other bunshin were completely useless compared to what he now was able to do!

It was as he was thinking these thoughts that Iruka landed in front of the exhausted child. And he was not happy.

"Naruto! Where have you been?! Do you realize what you've done?!"

"Haa..haaa...of course I do, y'know! I did it, Iruka-sensei! Mizuki-sensei said if I got this scroll out from the Hokage's tower I'd be able to be a Genin! I did it, y'know!" Naruto was genuinely grinning from ear to ear, and Iruka felt crestfallen. Something stunk about this, he was sure.

"Mizuki-sensei? Naruto, that's not true. You have to pass the examination like all the other children in order to become a Genin."

Naruto sat up slowly, confused, "But..then.." Before he could get any further Iruka had thrown himself at Naruto.

"Naruto, get down!"

Before he knew what had happened, Iruka had been riddled with shuriken and kunai. And Mizuki was standing over it all with a wicked grin on his face and dressed to kill. Naruto hadn't known what was happening, but something was weird. He would soon find out why. Why _everything_. And it was not something he expected nor ever wanted to know.

In the treetops a little bit a ways away, a red-clad man stood watching the entire scene unfold, he'd been there from the beginning and he was still baffled as to how Naruto had managed to get that scroll in the first place let alone master the Kage Bunshin no jutsu in such a short amount of time. As he watched the interaction between Naruto, Iruka, and Mizuki Jiraiya could feel a smile forming on his face.

That settled it. He had his team.

* * *

Shoji: A shoji is a classical Japanese sliding door.


	3. Meeting the Sage

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Narutoverse.

_**Chapter 2**_

_Meeting the Sage_

Sarutobi Hiruzen had, at one time, thought that being Hokage was the single most important thing he could do with his life. His own sensei, the Shodai Hokage Senju Hashirama and the Nidaime Hokage Senju Tobirama, were his mentors, idols, and the two men he thought were greater than any other in kindness, understanding, and wisdom. In short, he looked up to them and wanted to emulate them in every way. This was probably also why Hiruzen still kept Danzo around; not only did he believe in needing a foil, Danzo also trained under the first two Hokages so Hiruzen firmly believed that somewhere deep down (deep down, indeed), Danzo was good for the village. Hiruzen, more than any other man, knew of Danzo's unwavering loyalty, but he also knew of Danzo's more..eccentric nature in his efforts. He was aware of ROOT, but he had been confident that most of the more outrageous ROOT practices had been abolished once he had seen some of them first-hand. Hiruzen felt that, at least, was a great example of what a Hokage can do for his citizens.

Of course, that had also been his first round at being Hokage. The second round was completely unexpected and unwanted. Over the years, as peace settled over his village, Hiruzen became more and more involved with internal politics and quickly understood that this was not what he was cut out for. As a man, Hiruzen desired peace between _all_ his people, which meant he was constantly compromising when a more deciding leader would not. This was also why he was in his current predicament of explaining to the already chosen Jounin sensei why their teams were about to be completely changed from the ground up.

"With all due respect, Sandaime-sama, how can you have let Jiraiya-sama do this?" Yuuhi Kurenai was internally near hysterics, though as a trained Jounin she knew how to hide it well. Hyuuga Hinata had been her charge for years, and Kurenai had already set aside several lessons and training materials in order for Hinata to grow as a person as well as a shinobi. Not to mention that her team was specifically supposed to be a tracking and reconnaissance squad. With what Jiraiya had in mind, that left her completely useless and out in the cold.

"I agree with Kurenai, Hokage-sama. While Jiraiya-sama is certainly more than worthy of training a squad, why those three? Aside from Uzumaki Naruto, both Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Hinata were to be integral parts of their set-aside teams," Sarutobi Asuma, despite showing respect to his father's position, still couldn't understand why his father had let Jiraiya run everything as he pleased. Asuma was to be in charge of the reincarnation of the Ino-Shika-Cho squad and without the Shika, there _was_ no squad and his chain smoking was betraying his irritation, "How the hell are we supposed to fix this?"

"Mmmm..Well, I don't see what's so bad about it. I can see where Jiraiya-sama is coming from; the spy network he's developed _is_ incredibly important to Konoha's safety, and those three seem to have the skills needed where the other students lack them," Hatake Kakashi was obviously the only one of the sensei not overly bothered by this sudden change of events. His squad was essentially left in tact, the only change being Inuzuka Kiba on his team instead of Naruto. He, of course, was slightly disappointed that he wouldn't be able to train his sensei's son, but Jiraiya _was _the boy's godfather. He certainly had more rights to Naruto than Kakashi did, "But I do feel some of the same feelings as both Asuma and Kurenai regarding this. I was, as you know, looking forward to training Naruto along with Uchiha Sasuke."

Kurenai had rounded on Kakashi at that, "Of course you're nonplussed about this whole incident! Your team's barely changed at all! It's still an apt front-line squad even without Uzumaki-san!"

"Kurenai, that's enough," Hiruzen sighed for what seemed the thousandth time in the last twenty-four hours, "I understand all your concerns and I did take them into account before I let Jiraiya do what he came here to do. Yes, he did blindside me as well with his proposition, but I did agree with his plan. We cannot let his spy network crumble and still function as the Konoha we are today."

Standing up, and taking his pipe with him, Hiruzen walked around his desk to stand directly in front of his chosen Jounin. "That's why I've come up with a compromise that hopefully will work out for the time being."

All three Jounin had turned towards their Hokage as he spoke; the man did carry a certain air about him that demanded attention. Whether it was his age, experience, or wisdom one could never really put a finger on it. And, in fact, most of his compromises, despite their own criticism among the ranks and citizenry, wound up working to everyone's advantage.

"Now, Asuma, Jiraiya has assured both me and Shikaku that Shikamaru is to be integrated into the Ino-Shika-Cho squadron. Time will tell when that will be, but despite the Nara's lazy nature he is assuredly a brilliant strategist and tactician underneath his bored exterior; like all Nara males. I see no conflict on interest here, as Shikamaru would easily be able to work with Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji almost immediately when he has completed what Jiraiya has planned for him. The squad will still come into effect, just not immediately. In the meantime, your focus is to be on enabling Ino and Chouji to work together. I hear Ino is a bit of a dictator, while Chouji has one of the most gentle natures in a young man I've seen. That alone will be enough of a challenge. Aburame Shino will be installed into your team as a semi-replacement for Shikamaru; his kikaichuu insects can emulate the Nara's Kage Mane no jutsu fairly well, so Ino and Chouji can at least learn to work with stationary targets."

Asuma nodded to his father in acceptance. An Aburame would definitely work as a substitute for the time being, and if Shikamaru would really be returned to the village then it really would not be much of an issue to integrate the boy into the squad. What bothered him the most, though, was now that the Aburame and Inuzuka were taken by other instructors, what was Kurenai supposed to do? Surely his father wouldn't just discard her.

Glancing over at her through the corner of his eye, Asuma could tell Kurenai was extremely nervous about the whole situation.

Hiruzen knew that this next step could be a little tricky. Unfortunately, it had to be done for the time being, and he wasn't entirely sure how Kurenai was going to react to what he was about to say next.

* * *

Standing at the front of the classroom, Iruka had always felt a certain degree of control. At least until this year, anyway. How he managed to get so many wildly different and conflicting personalities in one class still escaped him. He had just walked into the room, closing the door behind him, and already the outrageous conversations of his students was overwhelming. While he was certainly proud of Naruto for finally passing the exam, Naruto's ego about the whole thing was not exactly an easy thing to overcome. Naruto was proudly showing off his band to Shikamaru, who was surpisingly not asleep, who had just asked why the boy was even here if he hadn't passed the exam.

"I think _this_ explains everything, y'know!" Naruto was grinning from ear to ear, nailing his thumb to Iruka's old hitai-ite, "I'm just so awesome that Iruka couldn't hold me back, Shikamaru. Obviously, y'know!"

Shikamaru was understandably skeptical, but, as he put it, "Whatever, Naruto. I don't want to know; it's too much of a pain in the ass."

Naruto obviously didn't care about Shikamaru's indifference, proudly making his way over to Sasuke to show off when Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino slammed into the doorway, plainly trying to get to Sasuke's seat as quickly as possible before the other got there. Seeing Naruto already in the seat didn't help much.

"Naruto! Get away from Sasuke-kun! That's _my _seat!"

"What're you talking about, billboard-brow?! I obviously beat you here! That seat is mine!"

Iruka rolled his eyes ever so slightly at the exchange; he swore this happened every single day. He then almost choked on his own saliva as something happened that _didn't_ happen every day occurred: Naruto, eyeballing Sasuke from on top of the desk, had been accidentally shoved into Sasuke's face in a rather..compromising situation.

Both boys immediately began their own choking and gagging before Naruto found himself at the ire of Sasuke's fan troupe. Before things could get out of hand, Iruka coughed loudly. He was almost certain no one had even noticed he had been there the entire time.

"Alright! That's enough, class! Everyone take your seats; Sakura, Ino that means you two as well! Sit where you're at!"

Sakura had at least gotten onto the same row as Sasuke, and stuck her tongue out at Ino who had been forced into the row behind them. Iruka began to address the class once more.

"Okay! As you all are aware, today is the first day you are Genin! Once again, congratulations on passing and I'm incredibly proud of each and every one of you! Good luck, and please stay alive!"

Naruto laughed out loud, "No problem Iruka-sensei! There's no way I'm gonna die before I become Hokage, y'know!"

Groans were heard throughout the room, but Iruka ignored it as he continued, "Yes, of course Naruto. Now, I'll be giving you all your assigned teams and your new instructors will be arriving after a small break to pick you up and introduce themselves to you."

Iruka began rattling off sets of three names, the squad number, and their future sensei's names. By the time he got to the later squads, it was becoming obvious that several of the girls were getting increasingly nervous. Iruka knew that these particular girls had been going through their first crushes, and so he felt the pressure mounting knowing what was coming next.

"Alright, as for Team 10, the members will be Aburame Shino, Akimichi Chouji, and Yamanaka Ino. Your Jounin sensei is Sarutobi Asuma." Iruka quickly gritted his teeth and focused a little bit of chakra into his ears to prevent Ino's protestations of her teammates from blowing his eardrums.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME, SENSEI! I CAN'T POSSIBLY B-" Ino was quickly interrupted as Sakura turned around and stuck her tongue out at Ino again in her prepared victory. This, to Iruka, was a stroke of extreme luck. He knew Shino and Chouji wouldn't mind what Ino was about to say, but Iruka himself would have had to stop her from saying anything too rude about the boys.

"Alright, alright! Ino! Calm down! You know you don't have a choice in this matter, it's all prepared by your class scores and several other factors dictated by the Hokage himself. Of course, if you don't wish to be a shinobi due to your teammates, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you retired early."

A couple snickers were heard as Ino very quickly calmed down, blushing a furious red in embarrassment. If there was one thing that could get Ino to stop her tirades, it was embarrassment for her actions.

"Now, the next group to be announced is Team 7. This squad will consist of Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, and Uchiha Sasuke," Before he could continue, Iruka was again interrupted by squeals of delight from Sakura, which he expected and was prepared for again, "Sakura, please keep it down. This team has a bit of a problem that I have to address."

Sakura immediately sat down, still smiling. She didn't care what the problem was so long as she was in the same team as Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun himself, on the other hand, was not pleased to hear that not only was he on the team with the Haruno girl and the Inuzuka, but there was already a problem with the team. He of course knew it couldn't possibly be an issue involving him, but he still didn't need any such problems getting in his way of his future plans.

"What kind of problem are we talking about, sensei? Is it that serious?" Kiba had voiced Sasuke's questions almost verbatim for him, so Sasuke merely echoed with a loud hum.

"Well, Kiba, due to some unforeseen circumstances, there was an additional Jounin sensei without a squad. Because of Team 7's initial Jounin sensei, Hatake Kakashi's own..eccentricities, it was decided that Team 7 will have an additional instructor. Yuuhi Kurenai will be assisting Kakashi as sub-instructor."

Loud protestations erupted from across the classroom.

"What're you talking about, sensei?!"

"They have _two_ Jounin instructors?!"

"How is that fair?!"

"Sounds like a complete pain in the ass."

"Wait a second! How come I'm not on the team with Sakura-chan?! I'm clearly the best in the class, y'know!"

Naruto's statement overwhelmed the clearly more pressing issues, but Iruka was grateful for his outburst as it allowed him to explain why Team 7 had two sensei.

"Naruto, you know very well that Sasuke is Rooke of the Year. Sakura is also in the team because her test scores were higher than any other kunoichi in the class." Iruka mentally added '_Well, only her test scores allowed her on that team. Hinata is a much better fighter despite her soft nature_'.

Hinata herself had stayed quiet the entire time, just taking everything in while mentally hoping beyond all reason that she would be placed in the same team as Naruto-kun. Of course, Naruto's demanding to be on Sakura's team hurt her, but she also had been keenly aware of who was left in the class without a team. She was breathing rather heavily, trying to calm herself down as only Shikamaru, herself and Naruto were still unaccounted for. She subconsciously pinched her arm and squeaked a little bit in surprise. Of course, no one heard her, but she still became rather embarrassed and began fidgeting her fingers.

"As for the reasons why Team 7 will have two instructors, well..First of all, Hatake Kakashi, while being classified as one of the best of the best of the Jounin, has a bit of a..well, attendance problem."

The newly dubbed Team 7 all raised their eyebrows at this. An 'attendance problem'? Just how bad of a problem is that to warrant two sensei?

"The second reason is actually the primary reason, but that is, as of now, on a need-to-know basis only, and is classified."

At this, murmurs began circulating throughout the class. Now it's classified? Just what was going on?

"Which actually brings me to the last three of you without a squad. Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto: you are all to report directly to the Hokage's Tower immediately after you are dismissed to receive your assignment. You will learn everything you need to know there."

The murmurs had now reached a fevered pitch. Those three? _Those three_? Everyone in the class knew their reputations. How did a lazy bum, a shirking violet, and the most obnoxious, stupid kid in the class get such specific instructions?

Sasuke and, surprisingly if anyone knew it, Shikamaru were the only two who seemed to understand what was happening; those three were deemed 'special exceptions' by the Hokage himself and were being granted a ridiculous amount of responsibility. Sasuke found himself inwardly fuming. What did those three have that he didn't? He was an Uchiha for heaven's sake! If anyone was to be granted such responsibility it should be him! Unfortunately, Sasuke knew he wasn't going to receive any answers from Iruka, so he grit his teeth and began calculating to himself.

Naruto, on the other hand, was outraged. "What'd you mean we have to go to the old man?! Wait, is he gonna be our sensei?!" Naruto's eyes had bulged out of their sockets as his conjecture seemed to make sense to him, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that, y'know?! Being such an awesome ninja means I've gotta learn from the best in the village! Mmhmm! Mmhmm!"

As Naruto began nodding to himself with pride, the rest of the class seemed to catch on after his outburst; but there was no way that was true..right? Those three were simply deemed too unfit to actually be shinobi, so they were going to the Hokage to be stripped of their Genin status already! ..Right?

It was at that moment that a loud '_thump!_' was heard from the back as Hinata had fainted out of her seat.

The rest of the class, aside from the two that were either unconscious or dumb, took that as a sign that nothing good was going to happen.

* * *

Thirty minutes and a batch of smelling salts later Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru were walking towards the Hokage's office. Due to each of their own unique personalities, not much was said on the way. Shikamaru was busy dragging his feet and looking at the sky with half-lidded eyes; Hinata, frightened to death of what was to come, but also extremely nervous being so close to Naruto, was subconsciously poking her index fingers together while alternatively staring at the ground and the back of Naruto who was leading the way; Naruto himself was practically beside himself with giddiness, with his arms behind his head in a relaxed pose. While he knew Shikamaru decently enough, he also was aware that talking to him was just going to lead to some comment about the whole thing "being a pain in the ass", and he barely even registered Hinata on his radar so he found the walk to be somewhat awkward.

But to the self-proclaimed 'most awesome ninja' that wasn't going to stop him and his excitable self.

"Hey, hey!" Naruto turned around, walking backwards while talking, "You guys've gotta be more excited about this! We're gonna be taught by the Hokage, y'know! We've gotta be the most awesome team around!"

Shikamaru sighed, "Naruto, there could be a million different reasons why we've been asked to go the Hokage's office immediately, and very, very few of those reasons are any good. You really don't get it do you?"

Naruto clearly did not. "What're you talking about, Shikamaru? The old man loves me! There's no way anything bad could come out of this!"

"U-um..N-Naruto-kun..He's Hokage-sama, not 't-the old m-man'.." Hinata tried her hardest to instruct Naruto on proper decorum when it came to his superiors, but Naruto simply waved it off.

"Aahh, it's whatever! He's never stopped me from calling him that before, but I don't get why people are always telling me that, y'know?"

"It's because he's the _Hokage_, you numbskull. If you're so intent on the taking over that position, you should know it comes with a level of respect." Shikamaru briefly took his eyes off the clouds to remind Naruto that Hinata was right in her comment.

Naruto just waved it off again, "Yeah, yeah. I'll try and keep it provisional, for you guys' sake. I mean, you are my teammates now, right?"

Hinata blushed deeply at his comment, but couldn't help herself from correcting Naruto again, "U-um..It's 'professional', Naruto-kun."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess it is. Thanks Hinata!" He grinned at her, causing the crimson on her face to deepen, "Oh crap, you alright? You collapsed earlier, you sure you're not sick or anything? That could be really bad, y'know!"

Before Hinata could respond, Shikamaru forced Naruto to turn around before he backed into an elderly couple crossing their paths, "She's not sick, Naruto, focus on where you're walking for crying out loud and stop being such a pain in the ass. We're getting weird looks for some reason."

Naruto, who now knew exactly why he was getting those looks, immediately shut up. He couldn't have his new teammates hate him already if some random person started talking about.._it_..Like Mizuki, the traitor, had done. He definitely wouldn't be able to handle that, let alone the dark looks he would forever receive from his own team.

The melancholy that suddenly dropped over Naruto didn't go unnoticed by either Hinata or Shikamaru. While both took different approaches to it (Hinata, worry; Shikamaru,curiosity), neither said anything more and continued on their trek in silence.

* * *

Hiruzen, as per usual, was glancing over paperwork when a Chuunin assistant knocked on his office door.

"Hokage-sama, sir, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto are here to see you as per your orders."

"Ah, thank you Hiruma. Send them in."

The young Chuunin bowed and opened the door wide for the three fresh Genin, a strange mixture of apprehension, excitement, and dread spread across each of their faces. Hiruzen supposed that that was to be expected; they weren't really told anything about why they were here. So, in order to calm their nerves the old Hokage smiled as warmly as he could, welcoming them each in turn and inviting them to please take a seat in front of his desk where three chairs had already been placed.

He had almost expected Naruto to bombard him with excitable questions, but for some reason Naruto had a strange look on his face. He kept avoiding the other two's attention, and even Hiruzen couldn't quite get Naruto to look him in the eye. He frowned slightly; this was probably an after-effect of what had occurred last night. He would have to speak to Naruto about that before too long.

"Now, I'm sure you three have a myriad of questions running through your curious minds right about now, but I assure you that nothing is wrong and you are all quite safe from being demoted" Hiruzen had to smile at the seemingly invisible aura of apprehension that almost immediately dissolved in front of his eyes. Most all of it coming from Hinata and Shikamaru; he knew Naruto wouldn't have even considered it.

"Before I begin briefing you on your squad assignment, know that this was a rather sudden occurrence. I'm sure you've already heard about the complications that have arisen regarding Teams 10 and 7."

Shikamaru nodded; Naruto hummed, clearly distracted with something else; and Hinata merely looked at the ground as if making those teams' issues her own. The child was really too kind hearted for her own good sometimes.

"Now, none of that is your fault. It is, in fact, my own as well as your new squad leader's responsibility. Again, I assure you that you have done nothing wrong. In fact, in this case you have done everything right."

With that said, all eyes were rapt on him. His warm smile seemed to grow a little at that, these kids definitely needed a little bit of ego boosting at the moment.

"You three have been specifically selected and requested by your instructor for your various skills and abilities. Know that no other could take your place in this situation. You alone are what he wants and even needs."

Shikamaru had raised an eyebrow at that, "Excuse me for interrupting, Hokage-sama, sir, but you keep referencing our instructor. Who exactly is this person?"

Hiruzen nodded at Shikamaru's apt question; he knew how to get to the heart of the matter.

"Your instructor and new sensei is the recently returned Jiraiya of the Sannin, the Toad Sage."

While Hiruzen expected a lot of things from the three, he only half-expected Naruto's reaction: uproarious laughter.

"'_Toad Sage_'? Are you kidding me, old man? What's so great about _toads_, y'know?"

Naruto didn't even expect the knock to the back of his head he suddenly received, knocking him out of his seat. Hinata immediately gasped in concern while Shikamaru immediately turned around to notice a large, imposing red-clad man with a mane of white hair.

"Toads happen to be one of the most respected animal spirits around, brat! And don't you forget it!" Jiraiya himself had appeared from the back of the room at last, dusting off his knuckles.

Naruto quickly sprang back up to his feet, ready for a fight. "HEY! THAT HURT, Y'KNOW!"

"Yes, yes, I do 'know'. That was the point, kid." Jiraiya smirked at the miniature version of his last student.

Realization suddenly dawned on Naruto, "You're that old man that was in my way the other day when I was running from Iruka-sensei! Who the hell are you?!"

Before even waiting for an answer Naruto had leaped at Jiraiya fists at the ready. Jiraiya simply stood to the side allowing Naruto's own weight and inexperience to send him flying across the room and into the wall, creating a resounding crash.

"N-Naruto-kun!" Before she had even realized what she was doing, Hinata had rushed over to make sure that nothing serious had happened to Naruto. Naruto, meanwhile, sat on the ground trying to make the world stop from spinning.

"Hey, Hinata, why're there three of you? Did you learn the Kage Bunshin, too?" Naruto's voice was loopy and he clearly had no concept as to what just happened regarding his head, a wall, and a concussion.

Hinata blushed and tried helping the blond up, Shikamaru also walked over to help the smaller girl bring Naruto back to his chair so he could readjust his world.

Jiraiya didn't take any of this for granted and knew he would more than likely get a real kick out of these kids if he played his cards right. As it was, he simply grinned to himself and leaned against the Hokage's desk as the three kids sat back down.

Hiruzen shook his head at Naruto's abrasive antics, but waited for Naruto to stop wobbling before he continued with the explanation.

"Children, this is Jiraiya. My old student and Great Sage of the Toads of Mount Myouboku and one of the Legendary Sannin. He will also be, from today onward, your new sensei."

After everything that had happened with Naruto, Shikamaru and Hinata finally felt realization sweep over themselves. Jiraiya-sama? _The_ Jiraiya-sama? _He_ was their new sensei? Hinata felt extremely light-headed but tried her best to maintain her composure, while Shikamaru simply sat there, slack-jawed.

"What's so great about a Sannin, anyway old man? He just looks like some kind of pervert with that make-up, y'know!" Naruto was still angry about being thrown against the wall, even if it was his own fault in the first place.

Jiraiya slapped his face with his hand and Hiruzen chuckled knowingly. Shikamaru meanwhile smacked Naruto in the chest with the back of his hand.

"Oi, Naruto, the Sannin are supposedly the greatest shinobi that have ever come out of Konoha in the last thirty years, exempting, of course the Yondaime."

"Who I trained, personally." Jiraiya added, trying to get the blond brat to at least give him _some_ respect.

Naruto gaped at the words. "Wait, this guy trained the Yondaime?! And we're gonna be his new students?! So, like, we're, y'know, as awesome as the Yondaime?!" Each sentence had become louder than the last until Naruto was literally standing on his seat in amazement.

Jiraiya grinned, finally getting some well-deserved honor from that kid. "No one ever said you were _that_ good, brat. The Yondaime was an exception among exceptions. But then again, you're all still young. Maybe you've got it in you, huh?" He winked at the three of them who now stared at Jiraiya in shock and awe.

Hiruzen coughed to gather their attention again, "Now, where was I? Oh yes, you three are going to be studying under Jiraiya as his apprentices and will be guided on the intricacies of his spy network as well as learning how to be proper shinobi. While the two sound similar, they are actually very different from what a normal ninja does under my orders. Jiraiya himself is more a prodigal shinobi who wanders from country to country gathering intelligence and protecting Konoha from the outside, whereas most shinobi under my command protect Konoha from the inside by performing missions that are given to them. It is with this in mind that what you will be learning and experiencing will be vastly different from your peers, as you will not be training within the boundaries of Konoha."

Hinata sat wide-eyed and fearful of this new information. Not in Konoha? How was she ever going to convince her father to let her leave the walls? _Especially_ after the Kumo Incident? And, as far as she could tell, he didn't even think she could be a_ regular _shinobi, let alone one that was to study underneath a Sannin!

Shikamaru had a similar train of thought, though his was more along the lines of the sheer amount of danger that three fresh-faced Genin were going to be facing almost immediately. He furrowed his brow trying to make some sort of sense of this situation.

Naruto, on the other hand, was beside himself. He was gonna be able to go outside the walls?! And all this sounded super dangerous and exciting! He was finally going to be able to prove just how amazing he was to all those people who gave him those dark looks. He wouldn't have to worry about anyone knowing about his not-so-little secret either! This was going to be awesome!

While Naruto was literally hopping in his seat, clearly ready to go at a moment's notice, Hiruzen and Jiraiya had both noticed Hinata and Shikamaru's apprehension.

"Now, as for being outside the walls of Konoha, Jiraiya has already received the permission of your parents, Hinata, Shikamaru. They have all consented to this, and as for any perceived danger you may be thinking of, Jiraiya is very well known across the Elemental Continent, but he also knows how not to be found if he doesn't want to be. Before you can even think of facing any sort of danger, he will be training you all on how to defend yourself out in the veritable wilds."

While Hinata still looked extremely worried, Shikamaru at least had let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. At least his mother wasn't going to be a real pain in the ass about this. As far as he understood everything, no one was even supposed to know where he was going to be. This could actually be a real blessing in disguise, as Shikamaru really wasn't much of a people person.

Jiraiya noticed Hinata's worried expression and sighed inwardly. He certainly wasn't going to let this seemingly too delicate girl know what had transpired when he went to visit Hiashi, let alone what her own father had inferred of her. The thought still caused his ire to build, but he quickly calmed himself down; he was going to make sure this bud would blossom. It would take some time, of course, but Jiraiya wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. The sight of Hiashi eating his own words was simply too good of a reward for everything.

Jiraiya stood away from his leaning position and slapped his hands together, gathering their attention, "Now! Before we get into the specifics, we're going to get to know each other a little better, all right?" Jiraiya looked out the window and noticed that giant tree with the spiral, enclosed walkway he had noticed the other day. He pointed at the location, "Meet me at that tree house on the double! Chop, chop!"

And with that, Jiraiya disappeared in a plume of smoke leaving three incredibly anxious pre-teens and a slightly worried old man.

* * *

Jiraiya was impressed with the structure. Instead of apartments, like he had thought it was, the building was actually a winding atrium. The place was literally stuffed to bursting with plant life, some of which he had never even seen before, and with the amount of traveling he had done that was saying quite something. He silently wondered who had constructed such a beautiful piece of architectural art, and found himself wandering aimlessly through the indoor forest.

He found the perfect spot in the canopy: it was an open ceiling, allowing birds to flock in and rest on their migration paths. There was even a relatively small pond for water fowl. The floor itself was covered in soft grasses, and he sat down facing the water while he waited for his students to show up. Being in nature calmed the great man. As he was more a vagabond than anything, he was almost always somewhere outside and he liked it that way. It provided much more protection than one would think than living in a specified zone where your enemies knew where to find you if they wanted to. And knowing at least two of his students, there were quite a few of them out there.

His musings were suddenly interrupted by Naruto's loud call, "OOOOOOIII! WHERE ARE YOU, JII-SAN?!"

A twitch started to develop in Jiraiya's left eye as he yelled back, "IT'S JIRAIYA-SENSEI TO YOU, BRAT!" He didn't even think of why Hinata hadn't used her Byakugan to locate him, he was too preoccupied with his former student's son acting way too much like his mother.

Naruto saw Jiraiya facing away from him and grinned devilishly. He was going to get his revenge for earlier. Hinata, walking close enough to see his expression, wasn't quick enough to stop him despite her best efforts and Shikamaru already knew what was going to happen anyway so might as well let it play out.

Two minutes later, a sopping wet Naruto was sat in-between his two other teammates with a sour look on his face. "Why didn't you guys stop me, y'know?! You totally knew this was going to happen! I can see it all over your faces!"

Hinata, despite everything, was trying desperately not to giggle too loudly. Naruto had looked absolutely ridiculous as he flew through the air in every single direction after Jiraiya-sensei had grabbed his flying kick and spun him into the pond. Naruto had surfaced with a duck sitting backwards on his head.

Shikamaru simply grinned, "Hinata did try and stop you, duckbutt. You just jumped too soon."

Naruto groaned loudly as he flopped onto his back.

"Well that's the second time you've tried that, kid. Learn from your mistakes and try harder next time. That's how a true shinobi operates and your first lesson." Jiraiya smirked at the soaking wet blond who sat up quickly at the "lesson" and thus ended up covered in grass and dirt.

"I already know that, y'know! I _will_ get you back for both times! That's my promise to you! And I never go back on my word, that's my nindo! My ninja way!" Naruto stared fiercely at the smirking Sannin, and Hinata smiled softly at his words knowing just how true they were. She herself had also taken to using those words as her own inspiration in the face of her unyielding family, and they comforted her in her darkest hours.

"Alright, then, why don't you go first and introduce yourself? Generally what Jounin sensei do is ask what your likes, dislikes and aspirations are, so why don't we do that? Sounds simple enough, right?" Jiraiya personally didn't think it was necessary for him, but in order for these three to really consider themselves teammates they were going to have to learn more about each other. It was more for their sake than his, in short.

"Fine! The name's Uzumaki Naruto, y'know! I like ramen, learning new, super cool jutsu, and Sakura-chan! I dislike old perverts, and I _will_ be Hokage one day!" Naruto crossed his arms and nodded twice in satisfaction and confirmation with his eyes shut. It was in this way he completely missed the sudden crestfallen look Hinata had just flashed before regaining her composure.

Jiraiya, of course, did not and he sighed while rubbing his temples. This kid was going to be a real handful until he could beat some sense into him. Who the hell raised this kid anyway? Whoever it was, he'd have to have a talk with them about their methods of raising a child. "Alright, well, who wants to go next?" Jiraiya pointed at Shikamaru, "You'll do. Stand up and state your purpose."

Shikamaru quirked his eyebrow at his new sensei. Didn't he just ask for a volunteer? Why did he have to go? He sighed and stood up anyway, "My name is Nara Shikamaru. I like clouds and not doing anything, and I dislike responsibility and doing things that require any amount of effort. My goal is to marry an average woman, have two kids, a girl, then a boy, then retire and live the rest of my days in peace."

Jiraiya smirked a little, "A bit specific are we? Well we'll see how we can fix that lazy Nara attitude of yours in the future." He grinned outright and Shikamaru suddenly felt a shiver run up and down his spine.

Turning to Hinata, Jiraiya smiled a bit softer and asked her politely to stand up and repeat what the others had done. Hinata had blushed a deep red that he couldn't quite name and she stood up rather unsteadily.

"M-my name is Hyuuga Hinata. I l-l-l-like...U-um.." Hinata's eyes, even though they were without pupils could still be obviously shifting back and forth between Naruto and Jiraiya. Jiraiya didn't think she was doing it on purpose, but it was painfully obvious what she was thinking, and that daft blond wasn't even noticing, "P-p-people who n-never give up and flowers. I d-don't really d-dislike anything, but if I h-had to say s-something it'd b-be people w-who are m-mean to others f-for no reason," Hinata's eyes finally took on some semblance of confidence with her next words, "I wish to be a great shinobi, strong like my father and kind like my mother." And with that, Hinata sat down quickly, her blush returning to her face.

Jiraiya's heart almost broke for the poor girl. If she knew what her father had said of her, he wondered if she would still have said that? What if she already did know? To Jiraiya that just made the whole situation even sadder. He sighed inwardly and coughed to try and make sure his voice was normal before he began.

"Alright, now that I know more about each of you.." Jiraiya suddenly started hopping on one foot, dancing a clearly ancient dance that looked a little too much like a monkey hopping around, "I am he who strikes fear into the greatest of foes! A man that loves like a lion but purrs like a kitten! I am known throughout the Elemental Continent, for my deeds of derring-do have been spun into the myths of our time! I am the great white lion of the Fire Country! The author of the best selling Icha Icha novels! The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myouboku, Jiraiya-sama!"

The kids all just stared at the expressive dance number. Naruto was the first to speak up.

"So you _are_ a pervert!"

Jiraiya smacked Naruto on the head, "I'm not a pervert you little brat! I'm a _super_ pervert!"

Hinata and Shikamaru both started worrying about what they themselves had just gotten into.


	4. Setting Off

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Narutoverse.

_**Chapter 3**_

_Setting Off..._

Shikamaru found himself way more exhausted than he thought he would be after what was supposed to be a simple "meet-and-greet" with his new sensei. The relationship that had sprung out between Naruto and Jiraiya-sensei was going to be the biggest pain in the ass he'd ever experience. Especially after Naruto had christened Jiraiya-sensei with his new nickname, 'Erosennin'.

"'Cause, y'know, you're a pervert and a sage!" Naruto had reasoned.

Jiraiya had not taken kindly to the nickname, "DON'T CALL ME THAT, BRAT! I'm your teacher, and with that comes respect, get it?!"

"Fine, fine. Erosensei."

Jiraiya had groaned loudly. Shikamaru knew Naruto well enough that Jiraiya-sensei was going to be on the losing side of this argument. Hinata had tried to convince Naruto of the proper respect that should be shown to one's superiors, again, but Shikamaru shook his head and looked directly at the girl.

"Hinata, don't bother with it. Naruto only gives that sort of respect out of experience rather than perceived distinction. Jiraiya-sensei'll have to show Naruto what exactly makes him so respected in order to get Naruto to show him at least a somewhat proper amount."

Hinata had looked rather down at that. So far, all the interaction she was able to muster with Naruto-kun was when she tried to fix his mistakes. If she wasn't able to do that, then what _was_ she going to say to him? It was too difficult for her to even consider talking to him normally; she would simply die from the embarrassment.

"Don't worry, Hinata. It'll just take some time." Shikamaru had tried smiling as best he could at the girl he knew had a die-hard crush on their new, blond teammate. Hinata had looked at him, horrified for a moment that he knew of her feelings, but calmed down a little after Shikamaru tried smiling a little wider and closing his eyes in the process. Being calm for Hinata at the moment, however, was really just turning a lighter shade of pink and poking her fingers together in a nervous habit.

After all was said and done, though, Hinata hadn't really been able to say anything else. Not that she had had much of an opportunity what with Naruto and Jiraiya-sensei going at it every other minute. Shikamaru sighed heavily as he dragged his feet back to his house, not wanting to remember the headache he had developed.

As he stepped into his house, he was suddenly confronted by his mother, Nara Yoshino. The calculating look he was getting was enough to send a shiver of dread throughout his body, and his eyes tried darting around looking for an escape-route.

"Not so fast, buster," Yoshino had placed herself in a very difficult place for Shikamaru to get away from; right in front of him with her arms spread out to the sides, "You're going to sit down and tell me everything, or no supper for you, got it?"

Shikamaru winced painfully at the prospect; he was starving since he and his other two teammates had been forced to skip lunch in order to make it to the Hokage's office.

"Er..Mom..I'm not entirely sure I can tell you anything that you'd actually want to know.." Shikamaru knew that he hadn't been given any _exact_ orders to remain quiet, but he was going to try everything he could to avoid this sudden pain in the ass.

"Hmmm..Is that so?" Yoshino knew Nara men better than Shikamaru probably thought; Shikaku was just as bad at this sort of thing, "Well, why don't you tell me what you _can_ and I can probably fill in the rest, hmm?"

Yoshino had moved her head very close to Shikamaru's sweating brow, she could practically smell the fear emanating from her son and she relished in her control.

"Let's go to the living room and talk a bit then," Yoshino grabbed Shikamaru by his shoulders and, with her vice-like grip, directed her son to the living room and seating cushions, "Your mother is just a little bit interested in your life, sweetie. This won't hurt you, I promise."

Shikamaru just groaned.

Outside, Shikaku had nearly grabbed the shoji's handle when he felt...something. Something that he really didn't want to step into it at the moment, so he quickly spun on his heel and headed to the nearest sake bar.

* * *

Hinata had quietly and discreetly stepped into the Hyuuga's main house and made her way quickly to her room before anyone could notice her. She had become very good at avoiding any direct confrontation with her family over the years; it never went well and she really wanted to be alone right then. She closed the door behind her and, leaning against the cherry-wood, sunk down onto the floor.

Her mind had been nearly blank practically the entire day. From the moment she figured out she was going to be on a team with Naruto-kun, she hadn't been able to think straight or even concentrate very well. It had been on her mind and in her dreams constantly before graduation, and when she had heard he had failed she had been crushed. She had seen him on the swing, his downcast eyes not taking anything in other than the rope the swing was attached to. Hinata had so wanted to go over and offer her comfort to the boy, but she was far too shy around him and hadn't ever really spoken directly to him. Suddenly going and offering her support would probably not have gone very well, she thought, and her father had also immediately ordered Kurenai-san to see her home as soon as possible. Too many obstacles and too little time.

But as she walked home from their meeting with Jiraiya-sama, '_-sensei_' she mentally corrected herself, her mind had gradually started buzzing with all the information she was given. By the time she reached the Hyuuga compound itself, her head and heart were pounding; threatening to overwhelm her and send her into a state of unconsciousness. That was why she didn't want to see anybody at the moment; she was worried any new information or "conversation"s would be too much and send her completely over the edge.

She still couldn't quite wrap her fragile mind around the fact that she was going to be studying under the Great Sage Jiraiya-sama, let alone outside the walls of Konoha. All with Naruto-kun! Her vision started swimming a little at that, and she had to ball her small fists up to focus on remaining conscious. Hinata had to get ready for an extended period of time. Jiraiya-sensei had specifically told them that they would not have a set time-table for their return; it would be solely based on their individual growth and performance. She had been also instructed, after Shikamaru had asked Jiraiya-sensei about equipment, to pack relatively light. Most of their provisions would be gathered on-site or on the road itself.

Hinata gradually stood up, using the door itself for balance. She looked around her room, a very tastefully, yet minimalistic, decorated area. There was her desk, with a picture of her whole family that had been taken before her mother passed (she had been only 6 at the time), a vase with a few sunflowers sticking out, and a calligraphy utensil next to a large script-pad. Her bed sat catercorner to the desk, beneath a large sun window. It's lavender covers and pillow cases matched the slight lilac tint her Byakugan eyes held; a unique trait that had been passed along to her by her mother. There were a few stuffed animals on her bed, she _was_ a young girl with a liking of cute animals, but the one that was obviously touched the most was a stuffed fox that was nearly half her length. She unconsciously blushed at the sight of the stuffed animal, though she didn't notice. Hinata had never understood why she liked that particular stuffed toy so much; she slept with her body wrapped around it every night. It gave her a sense of warmth she simply couldn't describe to anyone who would even think to ask. A wardrobe stood opposite her bed, but there really wasn't much inside. There were a few formal pieces that she was required to own as a Hyuuga: a plain, white yukata and a more decorative kimono that was reserved for especially important occasions. Other than those two pieces of clothing, there was her training clothes that she normally wore underneath her baggy tan jacket of which she had two of each.

She quickly took note of what she should bring: Obviously she'd bring her clothes (she figured all of it might be necessary; you never knew), and she also packed the calligraphy items as they helped her and her developing chakra control. She wasn't sure if she should pack the picture, but she decided to take it anyway, just without the frame; Hinata was slightly worried her father would get rid of it if he saw it. He didn't like to be reminded of her mother, and most of her items had been discarded ages ago. Hinata's wall next to her wardrobe was full of pressed flowers hanging on strong threads. There were at least twenty different kinds hanging there. It was a small hobby of hers, but she truly did like flowers, even if she didn't really know the meanings behind any of them. They simply gave her peace of mind in an otherwise dreary and dark household. She convinced herself to pack some pressing instruments as well since she was surely going to be seeing many types of flora she'd more than likely never see ever again.

And that was that. She didn't think anything else was necessary to bring with her, but her mind briefly flashed to her stuffed fox. Hinata quickly wiped that thought out; that would be utterly embarrassing if anyone caught her hugging that fox in her sleep like a baby. And if Naruto-kun saw her..Oh, she would just _die_. With that thought she was determined not to bring it with her. As the sun's waning light shone outside her window, she made her way over to her bed and sat down. Tomorrow was going to be an almost overly eventful day, she thought, and the day she had just experienced was already bursting with outrageous events and memories. Hinata curled up on her bed after laying down, and instinctively gathered the fox to her chest; hiding about half her face in doing so. Her eyes gradually drooped as she inhaled the smell of the stuffed animal. It had always had that effect on her, in addition to the warmth that passed over her body. She was thankful she had already taken her coat off or it might have been too much. And with that silly, last thought she was out like a light.

* * *

Naruto couldn't sleep. How could he sleep? Tomorrow he was setting off on the most exciting adventure of his lifetime! It didn't help that his apartment rattled with unnecessary distractions: the faucet to his sink dripped, the piping below his floorboards hummed with activity, and the full moon was shining directly into his face. The moon itself didn't bother him so much. It had never really bothered him. He liked it, actually; that luminescent glow seemed to calm him whenever he was feeling depressed or hurt. Naruto knew the moon would never hurt him. It couldn't; it was physically impossible. Sometimes he would just stare at the different shapes carved into the surface of the giant, pale orb. He always saw a rabbit for some reason. Naruto had heard someone once talking about the rabbit on the moon making mochi, but he could never see the mochi bit. The rabbit alone was enough for him, he thought.

He rolled over to stare at the moon once more, thinking about what was awaiting him the following day. Was this Jiraiya character really as great as he said he was? Naruto assumed he would find out fairly quickly, but he had the bruises and ego busting to prove Jiraiya was at least semi-capable as a ninja. He hadn't seen any cool jutsu from the white-haired man, but he figured it would only be a matter of time. And what was with the toads, anyway? Naruto grinned at that; how would toads ever be useful on the battlefield? That was going to be hilarious!

Naruto didn't really have anything to pack. He lived a sparse lifestyle, so he had only packed an extra set of clothes and underwear. He would pack his pajamas and night-cap when he got up in the morning. Naruto couldn't sleep without the night-cap. Before it had arrived, he was a fitful sleeper; never really finding true sleep attainable. He couldn't really remember when he got it, it had just been placed at his doorstep around the time he was five. He had laughed originally at the goofy face the hat had; he was never sure what it was supposed to be. The buck teeth really threw him off, but after he had tried it on he wondered how he had ever slept without it. It was a permanent fixture on his head from the time he planned on going to be until after breakfast was finished. So, it was definitely going into his bag when he woke up. Other than that, though, he didn't really have anything. He had put some playing cards in his bag if only to mess around with if he was bored, which he hoped wouldn't happen but always seemed to anyway.

Naruto briefly paused in his thoughts to wonder if he had some sort of boredom disease. He was horrified for a minute or two until his enlarged eyes settled back on the moon. With the full moon taking up the majority of his window, he settled down quickly and soon felt his mind drifting off. His last, ridiculous thought was that maybe Hinata had a boredom disease, and that's why she always looked like she had a fever and was passing out. He would have to cure her, then, if that was the case.

* * *

Jiraya and the Sandaime were busy writing seals and signs on a large piece of parchment in the Hokage's library, an area of the Hokage Tower that Hiruzen had personally crafted into a repository of jutsu knowledge and history; though it was a bit on the cramped side. Earlier, the Toad Sage had come back to Hiruzen and asked for his help in transferring and creating a unique scroll that he had said was going to be instrumental in the future. Hiruzen had hesitated for a moment, but after hearing how it would work out he had agreed to lend his assistance. It was definitely an interesting idea, and he was curious to see how it would work out. Hiruzen wasn't labeled as a "Professor" for nothing.

Whenever Jiraiya worked on seals he was always quiet in concentration. It made for fast work and time, but Hiruzen always found it unnerving when Jiraiya was silent. As if something in the world was off kilter.

"So, Jiraiya, what do you think of the students you hand-picked? Having any second thoughts?" Hiruzen decided to at least create some sort of background noise, for his own peace of mind at least.

"Hmm? Oh, those kids? Mmmm.." Jiraiya hummed to himself for a minute before making a statement, "Well, I've got no problems with the Nara kid. He's got a decent enough head on his shoulders and should be fairly easy to work with despite his protestations."

Jiraiya leaned back from his work a bit and examined it, making sure it was done properly. "As for the other two..well, the Hyuuga girl is going to take quite a bit of work to bust her out of that shell that she's created for herself. Now that I know what she's like, I can't say I didn't have second thoughts about her, but that Hiashi...Once I heard what he had said about his daughter I was convinced that she had to be the one I had to take." Jiraiya frowned and narrowed his eyes subconsciously as he continued appraising his handiwork.

Hiruzen had stopped briefly at his comment as well and raised an eyebrow. He knew Hiashi to have become a somewhat cold man after the deaths of his brother and wife, and he had a good idea as to what the Hyuuga head had said concerning his shy daughter. Hiashi had never been one to tolerate hesitance.

"And Naruto? What do you make of him?" Hiruzen was especially curious about Jiraiya's opinion on Naruto; the sage was practically the closest thing Naruto had to a relative at this point.

Jiraiya barked out a laugh. "He's definitely their kid all right. If he didn't have that blond hair, and I didn't know better, though, I would have thought Kushina had had an affair. The brat is so far away from Minato's personality that it's almost unimaginable. After I saw him pull off the Kage Bunshin, though, I knew he had the Namikaze chakra reserves. Even with the Kyuubi inside of him, he didn't use any of that power to manifest those clones. That was his own doing, through and through. That's why we're doing this in the first place, anyway."

Hiruzen nodded to himself at Jiraiya's words, "Yes, he certainly does have a lot of potential. The problem with him is his constant need for attention, though. I'm afraid all the years he's spent alone has created somewhat of an attention monster," Hiruzen said as he chuckled lightly at some of the more precocious of Naruto's calls for attention that he labeled as "pranks".

Jiraiya stopped what he was doing all of a sudden and turned to Hiruzen, "'Alone'? What do you mean 'all the years he's spent alone'? I thought he was being taken care of?"

Hiruzen turned sharply to Jiraiya, "Didn't you know? Naruto was banned from the orphanage when he was five after he had a run in with some bullies in the streets one day. I swore I wrote to you about that."

Jiraiya stood up immediately and glared at Hiruzen, "Yes, you did, but you didn't say he was '_banned from the orphanage_'! You said he had had gotten into a couple of fights and he'd be all right! What the hell were you expecting me to think?!"

Hiruzen stared in shock at Jiraiya, "Jiraiya, I'm sorry, son, but I thought you would have known that the orphanage doesn't tolerate violence. You were in the exact same orphanage when you were younger!"

Shutting his eyes tight in frustration, Jiraiya sat back down and leaned heavily into the back of his seat. He did know that; Hiruzen was right. The Sage had simply forgotten that one rule. It was never an issue for him, so it had completely escaped him.

"However, when I said he'd be fine I truly meant it. I don't think he liked living in that orphanage; he was always appearing in front of me pale and weak, as if he were sick or malnourished. Once he was out of the institution, he suddenly started gaining weight and life into his body; even with the measly stipend I was allowed to give him."

Jiraiya had reopened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a minute. "They were torturing the boy."

It was all he said, but it was enough for Hiruzen who had already had it investigated. "Yes, I had it looked into shortly afterward. The orphanage was overrun at the time due to the recent attack by the Kyuubi, and the caretakers blamed Naruto not only for the lack of money for the other children, but also the fact that those same children no longer had parents in the first place. They had placed all that blame on a single child who could barely determine left from right."

Silence reigned in the narrow halls of the library.

Jiraiya had taken a few minutes of staring at the ceiling before returning to his work in silence, but Hiruzen could have sworn he saw something wet fall onto the parchment as Jiraiya moved his head downward, quickly, to focus on his seal crafting. The Sandaime didn't question his former student any further.

* * *

The sun had settled somewhere just above the horizon as Jiraiya and Hiruzen stood at the western gates of Konoha. He and the Sandaime had worked late into the night and early morning, and the testament to their hard work lay between the sage's left hand and the ground: a massive scroll standing vertically with a strap hanging loosely from its edges. Jiraiya was used to not having much sleep, so he was fine; this first day wouldn't be too strenuous anyway. All that was planned for the majority of the day was travel. He did yawn a small bit, though, as he waited for his charges to arrive.

Not surprisingly, Naruto was the first to arrive. This, to both men, was a combined blessing and curse. The Sandaime, in particular, had needed to speak with Naruto before he left, but his natural exuberance may have been a bit too much for the two sleep-deprived, older men.

"'Morning, old man! Erosennin!" Naruto waved enthusiastically as Hiruzen glanced at Jiraiya at the usage of the new moniker.

Jiraiya groaned lightly, rubbing his face roughly with his right hand, "I told you not to call me that you little twerp! And what happened to 'sensei'?!"

Naruto scratched his head, "Eeeehhh...Didn't sound right, y'know? 'Erosennin''s much better!"

'_How on earth does that make any sense?_' Jiraiya thought to himself, but decided it wasn't worth the effort and tossed the huge scroll at Naruto, knocking him flat on his rear from the sheer weight of the thing.

"WHOA! Hey, watch it, Erosennin! What the hell was that for, y'know?! And what the hell is this?!" Naruto fumbled with the massive parchment as he stood up, leaning his weight onto it; it was nearly the same size as he was.

"Wait a second, I recognize this thing! HEY! You can't take this out of the Tower, y'know! I got into a lot of trouble over this thing!" Naruto was right to be upset; the scroll looked almost identical to the Forbidden Scroll he had stolen just two days ago.

"Relax, Naruto. That isn't the Forbidden Scroll you're thinking of," Hiruzen stepped in to calm the boy down, "You can't actually open it yet, but it _is_ a facsimile of the same scroll you took. Though it doesn't contain any of the actual forbidden jutsu that are contained in the real scroll."

Naruto had been messing with the seal placed over the middle, trying to undo it as the Sandaime spoke. Sure enough, the thing wouldn't open. "If it doesn't open, what's the point, y'know? I thought scrolls were _meant_ to be opened!"

"That's not how this one works, kid," Jiraiya started explaining, "It's got a seal that will only open at the right time; when that is, is entirely up to you and your efforts. We'll go over it some other time, but for right now I want you to get used to the weight and carrying it around like this," Jiraiya motioned to a similar looking scroll, though smaller, around his back, "Just tie it on and get ready. Oh, and place your luggage here."

With that and a flourish, the white-haired man laid down a long scroll with assorted seals on it and a large circle in the middle. Naruto took the obvious hint and placed his bag in the circle.

"Right then, Fuuin!" Naruto's bag immediately disappeared with a _poof_ of smoke.

"What?! Hey, where'd my stuff go, y'know?!"

"Of course I 'know', brat. It's sealed in the scroll," Jiraiya pointed to the circle, where the symbol for 'bag' was now splayed, "You don't need to carry anything as long as I'm around. We'll take it back out when we make camp or you need it for anything."

Naruto looked a little confused, but since the old man wasn't saying anything he figured it was safe, "All right, but nothing had better happen to it, y'know! There's stuff in there I can't lose!"

"It'll be fine, Naruto," Hiruzen calmly walked over to the boy, placing his hand on his shoulder, "I needed to speak with you personally before you go, though, and I think it's best we do this in private so why don't you come with me for a minute?"

Naruto scrunched up his face at the Hokage, wondering what he could possibly want to talk to him about, but he never questioned the man before so why start now? He nodded slowly and followed the Sandaime outside the gates and to the left into some brush.

"Now, Naruto, I know this is rather sudden, but we have to talk a little bit about what happened with Mizuki the other night. Due to the nature of things, I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you yet about anything," Hiruzen spoke slowly and steadily so as not to frighten the boy as he crossed his arms in a loose hold.

Naruto, though, was still caught off guard and started looking around nervously to check for any imaginary ears that might be listening, "U-uh..Hey, old man..I dunno what you're talking about, y'know? That bastard Mizuki was just a traitor. I thought Iruka-sensei told you everything already?"

Hiruzen frowned slightly at Naruto's attempt at avoiding the subject, "Naruto, I know about the Kyuubi."

Immediately Naruto froze up. His eyes mirroring that of a caught animal.

"It's all right, Naruto. What Iruka told you is true: You are not the demon itself. In fact, you are it's jailor; a person who _should_ be regarded as a hero and sacrifice for the greater good of the village. I tried my best to get that across to the villagers, but the damage that had been done went far too deep and affected far too many people for me to be able to control their actions towards you," at that, the Hokage bent down and onto his knees, placing his forehead to the ground in a submissive position, "And for that I am deeply sorry. I can no longer change what was in the past, but I can only hope that one day you can forgive this old man for his follies."

Naruto was suddenly extremely uncomfortable. The Hokage was in a dogeza apologizing to _him_. "Er..well..y'know.." He was at a loss for words for one of the first times in his life.

"It's all right, Naruto. Your pain can't be let go that easily," the Hokage leaned back into a kneeling position, still on the ground.

"It's not that, old man..It's just..y'know..I only found out about it the other day. It's not like I've been thinking a lot about it. To be honest, nothing's changed except that now I know why everyone's been so weird to me my whole life," Naruto blushed a little at his predicament, and started scratching the back of his head in a nervous gesture, "I don't blame you or anything, y'know. It's my problem, but it hasn't gotten me down, yet. I figure so long as nothing happens everything'll be good, y'know?" Naruto grinned at the old man who was now smiling softly with slight moisture in his eyes.

"You don't know how much that means to me to hear you say that, Naruto. You are truly your father's son," Hiruzen didn't mind letting that slip. As far as Naruto knew, his father had been a ninja like the majority of people he knew and had simply died in the attack twelve years ago.

"Heh..Don't really know what that means, but whatever you say old man," Naruto had stopped blushing and instead plopped himself on the ground, cross-legged, "Still, I dunno why the Yondaime selected _me_ of all people for this..._thing_."

Hiruzen, now sitting along with Naruto, smiled slightly, "Naruto, do you know what a 'jinchuuriki' is?"

Naruto shook his head at the Hokage, "No idea. What is that, some kind of food?"

Chuckling, the Sandaime shook his head, "No, Naruto, a 'jinchuuriki' is an ancient word used for those that become sacrifices for the greater good. It is commonly used nowadays to describe people in your unique situation. You're not the only one, you know."

His curiosity peaking, Naruto tilted his head in concentration, "What'd you mean I'm not the only one? You mean there are others with something inside them, too? Like, all over the place?! That's crazy! Why would anyone do that, y'know?! That's super dangerous!"

"Actually, it's the exact opposite of dangerous. It's the only way to prevent destruction like the Kyuubi caused twelve years ago. And as for why _you_ were chosen, a jinchuuriki is best when they are newly born and their chakra pathways are just developing. You happened to be the only child born that day, and so you were chosen to be the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. And jinchuuriki aren't all over the place, there's only a select few of you out there; each village has at least one in order to maintain balance."

"Okay...I kinda get that. But why don't you hear about 'em, y'know? Why's everything gotta be a secret and stuff? I mean, I get why I don't want to tell anyone, but I'm the only me out there, right?"

Hiruzen scratched his beard, wondering where to go from here. Too much information might be a bad thing at this point; he was already worried about the amount he had given Naruto already, "I think we'll have to save that for some other time, Naruto. As for why no one knows, that's actually my responsibility. I enacted a law that forbade anyone who knew from telling you in order to keep you safe from some of the more...radical types that would have wanted you dead. You have the right to tell anybody you want, whenever you want; that is your right."

Naruto frowned, "I dunno if I _want_ to tell anybody about this _thing_. If I do, they'd probably hate me, y'know? I don't think..I dunno about that.." his voice was gradually losing its power, and Hiruzen noticed Naruto was now looking at the ground with worry and fear.

The Hokage placed his warm hand onto Naruto's shoulder, "Naruto, somewhere out there in this world there are people you can trust. People who appreciate and will know you for who you are. Your teammates will more than likely be those very people. They are those who's lives are in your hands, and yours in theirs. The trust that comes from that is something that is indescribable. You will understand when the time comes," Hiruzen was now looking at the upturned eyes of Naruto, so full of fear and past pain that he didn't quite seem to acknowledge what the Hokage had said, "At that time, you should tell your teammates. It is only fair, as they will begin sharing with you the things they themselves fear and their own pain and sorrow. That will be the very foundation of the trust you will build amongst yourselves, and that is something that will never be broken. Do you understand?"

Naruto looked away for a minute then turned back to face the Sandaime, the previous anxiety slowly drifting away, "I think so, old man. So, what you're saying is that if we don't trust each other, we're gonna end up being totally worthless, y'know?"

Hiruzen chuckled and shook his head slightly, "Yes, that's somewhat the gist of it. But you'll understand the more difficult parts as you grow and learn more about the world. Now," the Hokage stood up, helping Naruto up in the process, "Let's go back and rejoin your team. I'm sure both Hinata and Shikamaru have arrived by now."

Naruto nodded his head quietly and walked silently back with the Sandaime's hand on his shoulder the whole time.

As they turned the corner back into the village, sure enough both Hinata and Shikamaru were waiting for their return; their bags already sealed into one of Jiraiya's scrolls. Naruto quickly put on one of his trademark grins and waved to his team.

"Yo! About time you guys showed up! I was just talkin' with the old man about taking over his job when he's too old to move, y'know? Someone's gotta do it!" His grin was so wide his eyes were shut.

This act was not new to Hinata. She knew that smile. That fake smile when his eyes wouldn't show. It always saddened her, and she suspected that what Naruto had talked about with the Hokage did not involve his job; it was a pretty poor excuse in the first place. "U-um...G-good morning, Na-Naruto-kun, Hokage-sama." Hinata bowed slightly to the Hokage.

"Yes, good morning, Hinata. And you as well, Shikamaru. I hope you both have said your proper good-byes to those you'll be leaving behind?" Hiruzen smiled at the two, ignoring Naruto's comment about his age completely.

Shikamaru had the same inkling of suspicion that Hinata had, but for different reasons, "Yeah, though having to deal with my mom was a real pain in the ass. I barely got here a couple minutes ago." Shikamaru still had a crick in his neck from the tight squeeze of his mother.

"Y-yes. M-my father knows t-that I've g-gone," Hinata went back to her go-to nervous habit of fidgeting with her fingers and blushing as she tried to avoid directly stating what had occurred, not wanting to remember it.

Jiraiya picked up on this, and clapped his hands together, "All right, then! Well, it's about time we set off. We've got a long road ahead of us, and we can't keep it waiting for too much longer."

Hiruzen nodded at his student, understanding the rationale, "Yes, you three are about to head out into the wide world and experience all its wonder and mystique. The world.." The Hokage stroked his beard, "Yes. Always seek your own freedom, and your world will stand stretched out before your eyes. If your dreams guide your spirits, conquer them! Always bear conviction behind your beliefs and you will never stray from the path that is right and true. Return to Konoha with the plan of having more wisdom than strength, and you will find yourselves with more strength than you will have planned on achieving from the start. Never waver from your convictions, and you will truly become fine shinobi that we all can respect."

Jiraiya smiled at his old sensei's words, "Couldn't've said it better myself, honestly. That's what you get for being such an old geezer!" The Sannin laughed and clapped the back of the Hokage. Hiruzen just smiled and narrowed his eyes a bit at the clearly over middle-aged man plainly ignoring his own age at the moment.

"Yes, well, you're getting here yourself, Jiraiya. Don't ever forget that, or what you told me when you came to me in the first place. That was the only reason I ever agreed to this little idea of yours." Hiruzen had a sly smile on his face and Jiraiya just barked out another laugh.

Naruto, meanwhile, was still enraptured by what the Hokage had said. He couldn't quite piece it all together, but he knew that his previous talk with the old man and his parting words were not so far away from each other in meaning. He might have to ask somebody about it later, maybe Shikamaru who seemed to get it, but for now he'd just mull it over to himself and see if he couldn't figure it's meaning out for him.

It was with that the quartet of Team Jiraiya set off onto the road and away from Konoha and its Hokage and its gates.

"That reminds me, Jiraiya-sensei. You never did tell us where we were going. I didn't ask before, since I figured it was probably supposed to be a secret, but now that we're on our way shouldn't we have an idea?" Shikamaru was the first to say something after about five minutes of walking in silence.

"Huh? OH! Right, I guess that's probably important, huh?" Jiraiya grinned at the trio, "Well, for now we're headed to Amegakure."

…

'_**What did he just say?!**_'

* * *

The rabbit in the moon: The deal with the rabbit and mochi making (an ancient sticky rice manufacturing process) is a common idea in Japan. It's their version of the Western "Man in the Moon". If you think about it, you can kind of see it. I have the same problem as Naruto and can't see the mochi bit, though.

Dogeza: A dogeza is that kneeling position with the head on the ground and fingers pointed in a triangle pattern you see quite a bit in anime if you watch enough. It's a sign of complete submission to the person it's being performed in front of. Usually reserved for signs of extreme apology or deference to the intended person. It's not something done on a whim or sarcastically. The placing of the head on the ground is actually the important bit as it shows complete humility. Basically, the lower you go in a bow, the more respect you're giving the other person by showing how much lower than them you are. A sort of complicated idea, but once you see it so often you get used to it and don't even think about it.


	5. The Road

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Narutoverse

_**Chapter 4**_

_The Road_

Naruto was confused, to say the least. He had been trying to make some sort of sense of what he and the old man had talked about, but was coming up short. The blond had remembered that the Hokage had told him that he'd understand '_eventually_', but he wanted to understand _now_, damn it! Who knew when '_eventually_' even was, y'know?! However, he was derailed by Shikamaru's sudden surge forward in front of Erosennin; he hadn't been paying attention and so now he had no idea what was going on.

"Hey, hey, Shikamaru! What's going on, y'know? Why're you making a big scene all of a sudden?"

Shikamaru wasn't looking at Naruto, instead he had his hands spread out in front of Jiraiya-sensei trying to force the older man to stop, which seemed to somewhat succeed. Jiraiya-sensei was definitely not moving, but the expression on his face didn't show any concern over Shikamaru's antics.

"N-Naruto-kun..Jiraiya-sensei said that w-we were headed to 'Ame-Amegakure no Kuni'." Hinata also seemed extremely tense as she explained to Naruto what was going on. She was fully aware of the stories concerning Amegakure no Kuni, and especially Amegakure itself.

"So what's the big deal, Hinata? It just sounds like there's a lot of rain, y'know. That can't be too bad." Naruto still had a confused look on his face as he looked at the blushing Hyuuga.

"Naruto, Amegakure no Kuni is one of the most unstable regions on the entire Elemental Continent," Shikamaru began talking to Naruo through Jiraiya, still not taking his stern gaze off the man, "The 'Rain Country' is notorious for its strict border control after the Great Shinobi Wars. The place is practically a demilitarized zone for refugees and missing-nins from all over the place. It's incredibly dangerous not only for those reasons, but also because no one actually knows what's going on inside the country itself."

"Hey, that's pretty good Shikamaru," Jiraiya-sensei was grinning at the young Nara, "That's exactly right. And that's exactly why we're going there."

"'_Exactly why we're going there_'?! No offense, Jiraiya-sensei, but are you _insane_?! That place is the _definition_ of a pain in the ass! Not only are you expecting to even get us in there, but you clearly said we wouldn't be placed in that kind of danger just yesterday!" Shikamaru, for the first time Naruto had ever seen him, was livid. This Amegakure place must be pretty crazy to have _Shikamaru_ so active.

"Mmmm.. I still don't see what's the big deal, y'know? I mean, if we've gotta get stronger why not go to the most dangerous place?" It made sense to Naruto's logic, but everyone else was on a completely different wavelength.

"N-Naruto-kun.. W-We can't handle that k-kind of place y-yet.. If we go t-there, there's a v-very good chance w-we could-could.." Hinata couldn't even finish her sentence, the thought was so horrifying to her.

"'We could die', is that what you're trying to say, Hinata?" Jiraiya-sensei had turned around to face the Hyuuga dead on and with a serious expression on his face.

Hinata shakily nodded her head, slight tears beginning to form in her pale, lilac eyes. Naruto saw how afraid she was and suddenly felt an instinctual urge to protect the frail girl. Before then, Naruto didn't even think he registered Hinata _as _a girl; more like a place-holder or something. His own cerulean eyes hardened somewhat in determination.

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan, no matter what happens I'll be here, y'know! With me around, there's no way we're gonna die!" Naruto flexed and grabbed his right bicep to show off; though you couldn't really tell anything due to his orange jumpsuit.

Hinata, meanwhile, was staring at Naruto in awe. Did he just say he'd protect her? Wait, did he even just use a '_-chan_' honorific for her name? Hinata's brain shut down almost immediately. That was the most Naruto-kun had ever said directly to her, and despite the relative meaninglessness of his statement, to her it held everything she could ever hope for. An incredibly bright shade of crimson covered her whole face before her eyes rolled back into their sockets and she became dead weight.

"Hinata-chan? OI! HINATA-CHAN!" Naruto had watched the girl's transformation into a sack of potatoes. Or was tomatoes a better choice? Naruto didn't even know why he was thinking of produce, but he did know that Hinata was about to hit the ground, hard. Unfortunately, he wasn't that fast with this giant scroll attached to him, and he didn't think he was going to make it to her in time.

"Oh-oh! We can't have that, little missy!" Jiraiya had appeared in a flash, grabbing the unconscious girl and lowering her softly to the ground as he started fishing around in his robes for something.

"Oi, Erosennin! What the hell happened to Hinata-chan, y'know?! If she's that scared of this Ame-whatever place I don't think it's such a great idea anymore!"

Jiraiya soon found what he was looking for, a bottle of smelling salts, and started waving it in front of Hinata's nose. If there was one thing Jiraiya prized himself on, it was being prepared for any situation. That included small girls fainting, though it wasn't really the reason he had the salts on him in the first place. "Relax, brat, she'll be fine. I think she just became overstimulated by a whole lot of things."

Hinata's face twitched as the salts began having an effect, and her eyes slowly fluttered open to stare at the wide face of Jiraiya-sensei hunched over her. '_What happened..?_' she wondered, '_All I remember is having the most realistic dream of Naruto-kun.._' She slowly sat up, before Jiraiya-sensei placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Not so fast there, little miss. If you get up too quickly, the blood will rush to your head knocking you out again. Just relax for a minute, I don't think we'll be going anywhere until I talk to you guys for a bit anyway." Jiraiya-sensei smiled softly at Hinata as he took off his scroll so she could rest her head on the somewhat soft parchment instead of the ground.

Shikamaru was still standing where he had been for a time, slightly worried about Hinata for a moment before getting back on to the main problem, "Jiraiya-sensei, I know you think you know what you're doing, but in this case I can't in good conscience go through with such a reckless plan as to go to Amegakure. It probably isn't that big a deal for you, but for three Genin that place is entirely too much."

Jiraiya sat on the ground, his head bowed as he examined Hinata, but he still heard Shikamaru's argument. He closed his eyes and released a sigh before opening them back up again, though now they seemed a bit distant. Hinata noticed the change as she was the only one able to see his face, and she suddenly seemed somewhat lost at his expression. It looked almost...wistful?

"For your average ninja squadron, I would say you were right, Shikamaru. However, we're not your average squad," Naruto started to grin, but Jiraiya stopped it in it's tracks, "And no, Naruto, it's not because you're on the team," he stood up, "It's because I'm here."

Jiraiya turned to face Shikamaru with his arms crossed, "It's not important to know the details, but a long time ago I trained three other kids about your age in Amegakure. They were maybe a year older, but they were still kids; they didn't even have your initial training from the academy. The time that I trained them was during the Third Great Shinobi War. The place was chaotic, but nothing ever happened to those kids while I was there," Jiraiya's eyes were too far away for Shikamaru to notice, but the sage was clearly reminiscing on something, "And I was there for three, short years. We won't be there nearly that long, and we have to go there in order for me to meet a contact and take care of some business. All of which is stuff you three'll need to be learning; Especially you, Shikamaru."

This noticeable tone of Jiraiya-sensei's voice in addition to what he said caused Shikamaru to falter a bit. What was he talking about? He clearly knew more than he was letting on, but Shikamaru supposed that if Jiraiya-sensei wanted him to know more, he would tell him. Shikamaru decided to leave it alone, but he still wasn't fully convinced that what they were planning on doing was the right course of action. His slacking posture gave away his loss of the argument, however, and Jiraiya didn't miss it.

"Well now," Jiraiya turned back around and knelt down to check on Hinata again, "I think you'll be all right now, ojou-chan."

Hinata nodded slightly before accepting Jiraiya-sensei's helping hand back up. "T-thank you, Jiraiya-sensei.."

Jiraiya smiled at the girl, "Don't mention it, but we're definitely going to have to work on your tolerance to certain things." The twinkle in Jiraiya's eye didn't give away much, but Hinata still blushed at the insinuation he was giving off.

Naruto, meanwhile, had been oddly quiet for longer than anyone actually noticed. A few things were bothering him now, but he smacked his face with both hands to gain some much needed concentration; he could deal with those issues later.

"All right! Now that Hinata-chan's better and I think Shikamaru's found that the whole thing's just a major 'pain in the ass', let's go, y'know?! We've just been standing around here forever, Erosennin!"

Rolling his eyes at the comment, but knowing Naruto's logic, Jiraiya didn't respond. Instead, as his usual sign of gaining their attention, he clapped his hands once, "Naruto's actually right for once, we've lost some much needed time standing around here. However..." he looked over his three students briefly, "Now's a good time as any for one of your first lessons in spy work."

All three Genin looked quizzically at the sage, wondering what on earth he could possibly teach them on the middle of an empty road.

"Lesson one: Blending in. For now, we'll just do this," Jiraiya placed his large hand over the front top of Hinata's head, "_Henge_!"

As Jiraiya took back his hand, Hinata blinked. A henge? Suddenly she was incredibly nervous as both boys were staring at her face; Shikamaru was even slack jawed, but both had a slight tinge of red over their faces. '_W-What's going on? Wh-why are they b-both l-looking at me like..like t-th..' _She quickly realized what had happened due to the position of Jiraiya-sensei's hand. "Wh-what did you d-do to my e-eyes Jiraiya-sensei?"

"Oh nothing much. Just added a bit of color. We can't have a Main branch Hyuuga member just walking around in the open. Far too enticing for any rogue ninja that may pop up. I'll take it off once we reach a secure location, but while we're out in the open like this you're going to have to keep up appearances." Jiraiya grinned and turned to face the two boys who were now avoiding Hinata's eyes like the plague, "Oh c'mon, don't you two go all ga-ga over a pair of pretty eyes on me now. If that's all it takes to get you two to blush, you're both gonna have rough time in the next few years."

"Shut up, Erosennin! Why'd you have to do that to Hinata-chan's eyes, anyway?! They were fine the way they were, y'know!" Naruto had wiped his blush off almost instantly with his indignation.

Jiraiya sighed, "Did you not listen to a single word I just said?"

"Of course I did! But why the hell would anyone want Hinata-chan's eyes anyway?" Naruto clearly thought the change was completely unnecessary and had no idea what a Doujutsu was.

Jiraiya blinked at the thought, "Kid, do you even know what a Doujutsu _is_?"

Naruto stalled. "What a..Of course...Er..It's a..Y'know..That thing..With, uh.." Naruto started rubbing his temple with his right index finger, "Errrrggg...All right, fine! What the hell's a 'Doujutsu' anyway?"

"It's amazing you even graduated, Naruto," Shikamaru started to take over in 'explanation' mode, "Especially considering you were in class with two people with a Doujutsu. Both the Hyuuga clan and Uchiha clan are known world-wide for their skills with their eyes; the Hyuuga with the 'Byakugan' and the Uchiha with the 'Sharingan'."

Naruto vaguely recalled those words, but honestly they were too much of a mouthful and it never concerned him, so why bother? "So what? What's the big deal about eyes, y'know? They're just eyes."

Shikamaru slapped a hand over his face in frustration; it felt like Naruto was going to have to learn everything from the ground up. "Those 'just eyes', as you called them, are probably the most important weapons Konohagakure has at its disposal. They're both incredibly rare and, with the right medical procedures, can be stolen and sold for an extremely high profit for shinobi that want the power they possess."

Naruto looked somewhat disgusted at the thought; why would you want someone else's eyes stuck in your head?

Jiraiya, sensing Naruto's dumb logic, took over from there, "Listen kid, think of them like super powerful eyes that can perform awesome jutsu, alright? That's basically what they are: jutsu that one has ingrained into their very bodies."

Naruto planted his fist into an open palm, "Oh! Well that makes way more sense than what Shikamaru was saying, y'know? Why didn't you just say that?" Naruto eyeballed Shikamaru like he was some sort of crazy person.

Shikamaru just sighed, "Because trying to dumb it down for you is too much of a pain in the ass."

Laughing at the simplistic way both boys thought, Jiraiya clapped his hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Look, the Sharingan isn't really important for you to know about at the moment, so just have Hinata explain what the Byakugan does as we walk, okay? You can do that, right ojou-chan?"

Hinata was still worrying about what her eyes now looked like, but nodded slightly, "U-um..Y-yes, Jiraiya-sensei, I c-can do that.."

"Good! Now, let's get a move on. Oh, and one more thing: Whenever we reach a village, town or whatever, you three are to remove your ninja gear. That includes your hitai-ate." Jiraiya crossed his arms with the declaration, making it seem like it was not an option.

Naruto, of course, had other ideas. "What'd you mean?!" He grabbed his hitai-ate possessively, "I'm not gonna get rid of this, y'know! I worked super hard to get it from Iruka-sensei and almost got killed over it! There's no way I'm giving it up, y'know?!"

Shikamaru groaned and just started walking ahead, ignoring the blond's protestations in favor of getting somewhere.

Jiraiya glared at Naruto, "This isn't an option, brat. You're not giving it up, anyway, you're just putting it away while we're in front of other people. We can't have you walking around parading that you're a Konoha shinobi for everybody to see! That defeats the whole purpose of blending in! This is your first lesson, remember?!" Jiraiya also started following Shikamaru, eventually overtaking him and taking the lead again.

"What?! Why can't I let the whole world I'm a Konoha ninja, y'know?! That was the whole point of me even becoming a ninja in the first place!"

Jiraiya suddenly stopped and turned around, glaring daggers at Naruto. "Brat, you and I are going to have a very long talk about what you just said once we're off the road, you hear me? This is not a negotiation, and you _will_ take off your hitai-ate once we find civilization."

Naruto just stuck his tongue out at Jiraiya, who had turned back around and thus didn't see it, while still clutching his forehead protector like it was going to fly off his head at any moment.

"N-Naruto-kun..It'll b-be okay.." Hinata, meanwhile, tried to distract the infuriated blond boy, "W-why don't I t-tell you about the B-Byakugan?"

"Huh?" Naruto suddenly turned and stared at Hinata's face, looking directly at the now distinctly violet pupils, and for a second he had completely forgotten what he was upset about, "Uhh, oh yeah! Yeah, tell me about whatever a Byakuwhatsit is! If my teammate's got it, I should probably know what they can do, y'know?" Naruto grinned at the almost perpetually blushing Hinata.

"O-okay..So..L-let's start with what a kekkei genkai is.."

"What's a cake got to do with it?"

Both Jiraiya and Shikamaru simultaneously groaned out loud in frustration. Naruto was now officially ignoring those two for pissing him off.

* * *

It had taken Hinata nearly an hour to explain how the Byakugan worked to Naruto. He seemed to understand the basics of it, but Shikamaru wasn't entirely sure Naruto had gotten the actual importance of tenketsu and why the Byakugan could be so potentially lethal to internal organs. Though, Shikamaru supposed that practical application would more than likely work things out for the blond boy in the end. '_It's only a matter of time before Jiraiya-sensei has us sparring against each other_', he thought.

Meanwhile, Naruto felt like he finally understood something more completely than he had ever learned before. Hinata had been very patient with him, though a lot of the time was simply her fumbling for words to best explain things. All in all, he was convinced that Hinata was a much better teacher than Iruka-sensei or even Shikamaru. Erosennin wasn't even on his list of instructors, yet. He was still slightly peeved at the whole ninja-accessory removal.

So, taking advantage of Hinata's gracious nature, Naruto pestered her into explaining some of the more basic concepts of chakra that he didn't really get during the academy. Fortunately for Hinata, these were _very_ basic concepts, so she had little trouble in her explanations of chakra control, nature, and why hand seals were so important. Naruto was starting to soak up the information like a sponge, but it wasn't too long after several lessons that Jiraiya had stopped his team.

"All right, we're coming up on a place to stop for the night," he turned to face his Genin squad, "You know what that means." He specifically looked at Naruto.

Luckily, the last lesson Naruto got from Hinata was _why_ Jiraiya had them remove their tools and why her eyes had changed. Though it didn't make Naruto very happy, he took off his hitai-ate and placed it in his jacket in an easy to get to location. He also took off his kunai and shuriken pouches and also placed them in his jacket on the other side.

"Good. Now, once we cross over that hill we'll be at a rest stop. Once we check in, Naruto, you and Shikamaru will be playing 'go' until it's time to sleep. You _do_ know what 'go' is, right?" Jiraiya hoped against all hope he wasn't _that_ dumb.

"Of course I know what 'go' is, Erosennin! But why do I have to play with Shikamaru, y'know?"

"Because he's going to wipe the floor with you, brat. That's why. You're too focused on physical strength, kid. Don't you remember what the Hokage told you before we left earlier today?" Jiraiya tapped his forehead with his thumb, "This is far more important for a shinobi than _this_." And with that, Jiraiya created a Rasengan in the palm of his hand.

Naruto's eyes bugged out of his sockets at the display, "What the hell is that, y'know?! You're gonna teach me that, right? Right, Erosennin?!" Naruto clearly was too distracted by the Rasengan, and Jiraiya immediately regretted showing it to him. However, Jiraiya was sly enough to use it to his advantage.

"Sure, kid. I'll teach it to you once you can beat Shikamaru _once_ in a game of 'go'." Jiraiya smirked. He knew Naruto wouldn't be able to pull that off for a while, at least.

"You're on! C'mon, Shikamaru, I'm not gonna let you beat me at some stupid board game, y'know!" Naruto suddenly darted off in front of everyone else towards the smoking that was lifting quietly over the top of the hill they were on; a sure sign of a structure of some sort due to the relatively decent size of the smoke trail.

"Ugh..What a pain in the ass.." Shikamaru rubbed his eyes, he was already feeling somewhat tired from all the walking, which he still didn't quite understand. If they were supposed to be making time, why didn't they just hop through trees like they normally would? While he had a couple of ideas as to why, it still felt like it was too much work.

"Don't let him win on purpose, Shikamaru," Jiraiya sent him the message through his tone of voice, "If I find out you did, I'll have him have to beat you _twice_. Hinata will be watching you two play and reporting to me about the games. I want to have you finish at least five of them by dinner time, got it?"

Shikamaru waved lazily at the Sannin. "Yeah, yeah..I get it. But what exactly are you going to be doing? Shouldn't you be watching us?"

Jiraiya was trying to suppress his goofy grin at what he _was_ going to be doing, but was failing miserably at it. "Research. I have our financial needs to consider, you know, and as an author that's where the bulk of our money's going to be coming from. Eheh." Jiraiya slapped his hand over his mouth as the weird giggle escaped unwarranted.

Raising his eyebrow at Jiraiya-sensei's odd behavior, Shikamaru didn't press the matter. Too much of a pain.

The three remaining members of Team Jiraiya quickly followed the dust trail left by the Uzumaki as they all thought of at least getting off their feet for the night.

* * *

"Argh! You've gotta be kidding me!" Naruto grabbed his blond hair in infinite frustration at his situation. "That's the eighth time in a row, y'know!"

The 'go' board between the two boys was covered in black circles. Shikamaru had won, utterly, again, though he didn't exactly look very pleased about it like Naruto would have expected from some other kids he knew.

"B-but N-Naruto-kun, you're definitely getting b-better at it.." Hinata, back with her normal eyes, had been watching every game like Jiraiya-sensei had instructed her; not that she wouldn't have without the order anyway.

She had been making her jars of healing salve while she watched the boys play, and had explained its purpose almost from the get-go. Naruto was a very curious person, after all, and he had to know everything that was going on around him all the time or else he would feel left out or ignored. He had been impressed with her idea for the medicine, though he never really needed the stuff himself.

Shikamaru had also expressed his interest and compliments as well regarding her own, personal creation. Hinata had felt elated and much more relaxed after the slight ego-boost, and the three of them got along rather amicably afterward. Naruto, needing a label for everyone he knew, had dubbed her his 'voice-of-reason', and had constantly asked her questions about how to play 'go' in a way that would beat Shikamaru and knock him off his high horse. Or low horse. Or whatever horse Shikamaru rode. Maybe a deer.

Hinata had giggled at Naruto-kun's rambling, and Shikamaru just smiled slightly. She had never experienced much in the way of friendship throughout her life, though there were a few exceptions. Not that any of that mattered now, but still..This was, without much doubt, one of the happier times in her life.

Shikamaru had quickly grasped what Jiraiya had attempted to do with placing the three of them alone in a room together playing board games. They were twelve, and they needed something silly and childish to bring themselves out of their own respective shells. Shikamaru, despite being more of an 'outside the box' type thinker, was still a kid at heart and enjoyed playing his board games (despite his complete dominance).

And Hinata was right, Naruto _was_ getting better. Only slightly, though Shikamaru was still fairly amazed at Naruto's ability to make seemingly random patterns into logical moves. Granted, it was only this weird Naruto ability that kept Shikamaru from being _completely_ bored, but it was at least more interesting than playing himself or Chouji. And it was _infinitely_ better than playing his father.

Jiraiya-sensei had just gotten them one room, divided by a white shogi into Hinata's and the male's sides. Their belongings had already been unsealed and distributed, but neither of the boys were quite prepared for the sheer _size_ of Hinata's bag. It was monstrous!

"U..um..W-well, I-I kept f-forgetting things a-and going b-back for t-them..." Hinata had been incredibly embarrassed after Naruto had claimed the bag had to be at about the same size as the Hokage monument. Shikamaru shook his head at the gross exaggeration, but it was _still_ a very large bag. It could've probably fit a tent if Hinata hadn't been told not to bring one. She hadn't actually brought one, had she?

"N-no..T-there's no tent.." Hinata's fingers had apparently drawn her attention and she had avoided the boys' gaze until sometime into the fourth game when she had brought out her medicinal equipment.

Near the end of the tenth game, Hinata had been eased into the two boys' bantering. She had even developed calling Shikamaru with a _-kun_ to show she now felt more comfortable around him. It was typical of her behavior, but Shikamaru still chuckled to himself when he thought of how _un_comfortable she was around "Naruto-kun". It was about this time that Shikamaru had wondered where Jiraiya-sensei had been the entire time.

"He's probably doing something perverted, y'know?" Naruto flipped two of Shikamaru's stones over.

"N-Naruto-kun..That's not very p-polite.." Hinata had blushed at the insinuation of Jiraiya-sensei's hobbies.

"You know he's probably right, Hinata. He _did_ call himself a 'super pervert' the first time we met him." Shikamaru rubbed his chin slightly at Naruto's move before flipping over four of Naruto's stones.

"Aaah! You've gotta be joking! I didn't even see that, y'know?!" Naruto was back to being frustrated at Shikamaru's more subtle moves.

"B-but..we don't r-really know what Jiraiya-sensei's doing..He c-could be on p-patrol, couldn't he?" Hinata tried to sound hopeful, though it didn't sound very convincing coming from her complete lack of confidence.

Before Shikamaru or Naruto could rebuttal Hinata, the door to their room slide open loudly before slamming shut behind a sweating, panting sage. Jiraiya brought his finger up to his mouth to indicate that no one was to talk. Suddenly, quite a few footsteps and muffled voices could be heard from outside running down the hallway. No one could be sure what they said, but it was apparently Jiraiya-sensei who was in trouble as he slid down the door sighing as the sounds faded into the distance.

"Wheeeew...That was close." Jiraiya instantly remembered he wasn't the only one in the room, and he had just practically admitted to his guilt. "Er, I mean..Ahahaha! Uhh.." Jiraiya was clearly unable to come up with any decent excuse after that.

Both boys just looked at Jiraiya with an accusing glare, while Hinata found her fingers and the floor to be the most interesting things in the world; which was saying something considering who was in the room with her.

"Don't mind it, guys! This was just an excellent time to show you all how to avoid being caught when discovered, right? Perfect timing!" Jiraiya nervously laughed some more before taking out his little notepad and began writing as inspiration struck him. "Oh! Oh, that's good..Mmhmm..Mmhmm.."

The boys pointedly ignored Jiraiya and went back to their game.

* * *

It was getting late, and everyone had begun preparing to get some long-awaited sleep; the futons were rolled out on the floor, and Hinata was already on the other side of the divider. Jiraiya was in some long, light-blue pinstripe pajamas when he performed his now-accustomed-to clap, signaling for his students' attention. He waited until Hinata had opened the divider hesitantly, she not knowing what to expect exactly and still wearing her day-clothes, before he whipped out three slips of blank paper.

"Do any of you know what these are?" Jiraiya smiled knowingly at the Genins' confused looks, "I wouldn't expect you to quite yet, so don't worry if you don't; These slips of paper are infused with a special type of chakra." He began handing each one to each pre-teen.

"'Special type of chakra'? What's so special about a slip of paper, y'know?" Naruto had begun flipping the paper every which way, expecting it to reveal its secrets just by being in a different position.

"Listen up, brat, and I'll tell you: By focusing your chakra into these particular types of paper, we'll be able to discern your chakra nature," As Jiraiya spoke, his students began to look at the slips in a whole different light. His smile widened a bit, "It may be a tad early, but in order to get the most out of your training we'll need to figure out what elements of chakra you possess. It'll make things go smoother and more efficiently in the long run, and by focusing on a specific nature you'll be able to narrow the lens a bit and focus on your own niches."

Naruto looked awestruck, but then extremely confused, "Wait, what? What's an element gotta do with chakra, y'know?"

Shikamaru and Jiraiya were expecting his ignorance; they'd grown used to how much he hadn't retained from the ninja academy. So they didn't display any outward signs of their usual frustration with Naruto and his very basic questions. Hinata happened to be on the other end of the spectrum, taking this opportunity as a chance to be able to grow a bit more used to being able to talk directly with Naruto.

As Hinata explained chakra natures and their balance to Naruto, Jiraiya turned his focus onto Shikamaru, "Why don't you go ahead and give it a try while our ojou-chan explains it to the brat? It'll give Naruto a bit of an idea as to what to expect."

Shikamaru nodded to the sage and began forcing chakra into the slip of paper. After a moment or two, the paper crumbled into dust, "Earth, huh? Can't say I'm that surprised, but what a pain in the ass element to deal with."

Jiraiya chuckled a bit at the situation, "Well, you're pretty down-to-earth anyway, Shikamaru. It only makes sense."

Naruto, meanwhile, had seen what had happened to the paper and was amazed, "Whoa! That's so awesome, y'know?! Alright! Now I wanna try!" He began focusing his chakra into the paper immediately, and, though it took him a bit longer than Shikamaru, the paper split in half. "Eh? Eh? What happened? What's that supposed to mean, y'know?"

"It means your nature is wind, brat." Jiraiya crossed one of his arms as he rubbed his chin, "Pretty interesting, that."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? And why wind, y'know? That sounds totally weak!" Naruto seemed a bit put-off by his nature; he felt like a breeze wasn't that great of an attack.

Jiraiya, however, looked fairly serious, "Naruto, wind is a pretty unique element to have. Even in Kaze no Kuni there are few actual wind masters; instead they focus on other forms of attack. As for it being weak, have you never heard of a hurricane or a tornado? Those are a couple of the most powerful forces of nature in existence, and both of them are made up, primarily, of wind. It's not a force to be taken lightly."

Naruto suddenly had a whole new respect for his nature, "That's so awesome, y'know! You mean I can pull off jutsu like that?!"

Laughing, Jiraiya shook his head, "Not exactly, kid. Those were just examples. Even though it takes on its nature, jutsu can't replicate forces of nature to _that_ degree. Though with some effective control and training, you could definitely pull off some powerful effects. Just be extremely wary of fire."

Naruto nodded, still looking at the split paper; Hinata had just explained how each element plays off the other, and he wasn't going to forget _that_ quickly.

"Now, ojou-chan, you're the last one. Let's see what you've got, eh?" Jiraiya grinned at Hinata who, of course, blushed at the sudden attention from everyone.

"O-okay, Jiraiya-sensei.." Hinata suddenly had a face of intense focus. She had been training in chakra control long before Naruto or Shikamaru, and so she held a wet piece of paper in a split second, "I-it looks like, u-um, water?"

The Sannin nodded, "Again, not a surprise. Whereas Naruto is a lot like the wind: uncontrollable and unpredictable; You're a lot like water: gentle and flexible. But don't let that deceive you, either. Water is a highly adaptable element, and is one of the more stable. It can crush anything, but it can also be used to support your own attacks very easily," Jiraiya furrowed his brow a bit before outright laughing, "I like it! That's fantastic! All three of you have elements that work well together, and that's always a plus. Don't stress too much over it for now; this was mainly for my own knowledge so I'll know what to focus on with you in the future. You guys still haven't even learned how to properly control your chakra to climb trees yet, and that's just the first step. That's it for now, though. I want all of you to hit the sack. We've got a fair bit of a ways to go, so we're going to be doing some exercises to speed us up a bit tomorrow. I want you all rested for that."

Naruto desperately wanted to know why the hell climbing trees was such a big deal, but Jiraiya had already turned off the lights. Hinata scuffled back to her side of the divider and shut it quietly; she had no trouble seeing in the dark with the Byakugan since the boys were already dressed down. It was at that moment she suddenly realized what Naruto-kun had had on his head. Hinata turned a deep apple-red; the nightcap had looked adorable on his blond head and fit him and his character perfectly.

She started dressing down herself, a bit self-conscious but not really worried that any of the boys would try and peek; they already sounded like they were asleep, the breathing coming from the other side of the room was almost _too_ loud.

Though, when she was digging through her bag, she did look around once or twice before taking out the large stuffed fox in embarrassment. Honestly, it had been the last thing Hinata had taken; she had begun to worry that she wouldn't have been able to sleep without it. It had been comfort item of hers for such a long time. Hinata quickly took the stuffed animal and hurried underneath her sheets. She didn't want to risk anyone seeing it. She knew she'd have more than enough time in the morning to place it back, but right now it felt like anyone could be watching her.

Naruto, meanwhile, was still awake. He had never been one to fall asleep easily, and he suddenly realized that he couldn't see the window from where he was; Hinata was on the window side of the room. Usually he never had a problem as long as he could see the moon, but he knew that when it was a new moon, or covered by heavy clouds, he stayed awake far longer than he liked. He sighed as he resigned himself to staring up at the ceiling for awhile.

It was going to be a long night for him.

* * *

I want to take this time to explain a bit of a difficult to understand concept of Japanese: names and honorifics. I created a few changes for the characters in this chapter, so it's a good time to go over it and the rationale. I'll use Naruto as the primary character for explaining. Naruto, before now, only used honorifics with two characters: Iruka-sensei and Sakura-chan. This is because Naruto respects Iruka as a teacher and friend, and he sees Sakura as a girl. Just because -chan is used does not mean it holds any deep feelings for the recipient of the title.

In the Naruto → Hinata case it's a more of an issue with what Naruto was doing beforehand: not using any honorific at all. In reference to Naruto → Shikamaru, Naruto has known him as a friendly person since a couple years beforehand, and so none was ever used. In the case of Naruto → Hinata, it was actually somewhat rude for him to call her by a name without an honorific. It showed that Hinata didn't even take up a fraction of his mind. By adding -chan to her name, it indicates a more friendly relationship.

Of course, the ultimate in closeness is to call someone by their name without an honorific (that's why it's considered rude to not use one). This is why in the case of Hinata → Naruto, she uses the -kun suffix. It is also why Hinata moved from the more formal -san to -kun for Shikamaru; their relationship has been forced closer due to their nature as teammates. Hinata is very polite, and -kun for any sort of coworker is the general practice.

As for what Jiraiya calls her in this chapter, ojou-chan is a semi-polite way of addressing a girl from a higher class. Because he adds -chan to the end, it's more of a term of endearment than a respectful title like ojou-sama or ojou-san would have. Jiraiya may have rushed it a bit, but that's kind of his character. It's also why he refers to Naruto as "brat" or "kid", constantly. Jiraiya, in canon, hardly ever refers to Naruto by his given name until Naruto reaches 15-16; or some level of maturity that Jiraiya acknowledges.

Get all that? It's a bit wordy and probably went over a bunch of people's heads, but that's the best way I can explain it. CliffsNotes version: Naruto adding -chan to Hinata's name only indicates friendliness. Hinata adding -kun to Shikamaru's name is normal for teammates or coworkers. Jiraiya is kind of a nicknamer. Using someone's full, given name indicates closeness, or if you just meet them is just plain rude.

Amegakure no Kuni: Rain Country. Also, Amegakure is Hidden Village of Rain. -gakure translates, roughly, to "hidden village" and ame means "rain".

Update on the previous term: Since I'm getting a lot of anonymous notices about the actual term here, I have to make a permanent edit to the story. "Amegakure no Kuni" _does_ mean Country of the Hidden Village of the Rain. I simply shortened it as that's too much of a mouthful. If you want the name I've got on my map, its name is Amegakure no Sato. This means Town of the Hidden Village of the Rain, which, in English, makes even less sense. Of course my map could also be wrong. I won't change the chapter even if its wrong, but future references will be altered. I'm just assuming that, due to its size and lack of a daimyo, Amegakure makes up a huge portion of the country. But I'll look into other sources and come out with an accurate term here.

Kaze no Kuni: Wind Country (Where Sunagakure is located, if you couldn't guess)

Futon: What Japanese people classically sleep in. A very fluffy mattress that lays on the ground. There are a lot of beds nowadays in Japan, but futons are still commonly used.


	6. Topography Lessons

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Narutoverse

* * *

_**Chapter 5**_

_Topography Lessons_

The forest in the early morning always held a somewhat mystical feel about it. A layer of fog lay just above the forest's floor, covering all the low vegetation with a heavy dew. Because of that damp layer, one would be hard-pressed to hear or notice any of the awakening fauna in the area. It also allowed for a veritable cushion as the not-so-natural blond and orange figure fell through low-hanging branches yet again.

"GUUWAAAH! AGH! AH! OOF!" Naruto's exclamations were cut short with a loud _WHUMP _as his body increased the indention that was already taking form on the forest floor.

Hinata, sitting a little ways away with her eyes shut, was distracted from her chakra control exercises yet again by the wanton destruction caused by the body of her not-so-secret-except-to-idiots crush. She reigned herself in from going over to check on him – again – since Jiraiya-sensei had caught her the last few times, and had told her, specifically, that she wasn't to stop what she was doing for anything short of an enemy attack. Hinata felt so useless; not only was her concentration being shattered every couple of minutes, but she couldn't even do anything to help the cause of her loss of focus.

Shikamaru, meanwhile, was napping under the foliage. While Hinata had completed the exercise in apparently record time – mainly due to her almost perfect chakra control as a Hyuuga – Shikamaru was still only a little over halfway to the goal. He had simply taken the halfway point as a marker that he could at least take a short break before going at it again. He wasn't particularly bugged with Naruto's noise; he'd grown a bit too used to it as it'd been going on for over an hour now.

After a moment or two, Naruto sat back up and stared down the tree as if the tree itself was throwing him off. He didn't get it. Not a bit. What was he doing so wrong? Hinata-chan had practically done it on her second try! And how was Shikamaru higher than he was?! "Errrrggg...!" He rubbed his hair wildly in frustration. "Why can't I climb a stupid tree, y'know?!"

Jiraiya had woken the three up very early in the morning – almost immediately after dawn – and brought them to this clearing after eating a light breakfast. He had explained how learning to climb trees using only your feet led to a foundation for better chakra control and further ease of use of chakra. After he mentioned it was one of the basics of the basics for any active ninja, Naruto had claimed he'd accomplish the goal in two hours. Jiraiya just raised an eyebrow.

"_Oh really?_" He had said, "_Alright then, if you _don't_ learn how to climb a tree with your feet within that time frame, you've gotta learn how to do it with the scroll on your back._"

Naruto hated that scroll. It hadn't been so heavy initially, but after walking all day yesterday with it on his back he felt like it was dragging him into the ground. Not to mention he couldn't even open the damn thing! Erosennin just wanted to make his life a miserable hell outside of Konoha, Naruto was sure of it.

And where had that pervert gone, anyway?

* * *

Jiraiya was a little ways away; he could still hear Naruto's cries of agony as the kid fell, repeatedly. The Sannin finished writing on his small parchment before rolling the tiny scroll up and affixing a touch-sensitive seal on to it. The seal itself would only unlock if touched by a specific person, otherwise the message would crumble into dust. Jiraiya flipped the epistle through his fingers before slapping his hands together, then the ground, summoning a small, black messenger toad.

The black messenger toads were only used for his contacts scattered throughout the continent. Each one was assigned a different contact, and these specific toads could easily sense whether or not the contact they were allotted was legitimate or not. Their olfactory senses were unreal. Jiraiya's contacts hated the toads – they seemed a bit too obvious – even though Jiraiya had told them time and again it was the safest way to stay in contact other than meeting in person. He traveled far too much for that to be an effective way to keep in touch.

The toad, with almost neon purple squiggly lines running up and down its body, latched its tongue to the message before sucking it up as if it were a fly. "Alright, good. Now I don't want you to leave before he gives you a reply, okay? I need to know how much I should give him." The toad hopped twice in confirmation of Jiraiya's request; it couldn't talk due to the responsibilities it was given by Gamabunta, the toad's boss. Jiraiya just nodded in response before the toad reverse-summoned itself.

'_Now that that's settled, I figure I should probably tell Naruto how to properly climb a tree before he breaks his back._' Jiraiya stopped his thought process for a moment. '_Wait, _can _he break his back?_' Jiraiya shrugged to himself, '_Better not push it._'

The old sage stood up and turned back around to go back to his students.

* * *

Hinata was concentrating very hard on the task given to her: a chakra control exercise designed to collect the prevalent mist in the air near the ground around her body. She had no idea what the purpose of the task was, just that Jiraiya-sensei had told her that's what she was to do. Hinata never went against authority figures. Despite the relative simplicity that the task originally presented, Hinata was struggling with the execution. She had never tried using chakra to draw things _in_ before.

The low-hanging mist seemed to shake for a moment – she couldn't see this with her eyes shut – before going back to its relatively still nature. Hinata briefly opened her eyes, since she had felt _something_, before sighing in disappointment. Nothing seemed to be any different. If Jiraiya-sensei had just told her what this was supposed to _do_ she didn't think she'd be having this much difficulty. Hinata was very much the type that needed a bigger goal to head towards, and in this way she was a lot like Naruto. It was also the reason she adapted his way of life; never giving up and always pressing forward to that one, seemingly unattainable, goal.

Hinata was still working on the 'never back down' part.

It was at that moment that Jiraiya stepped back into the clearing. Naruto took that moment – accidentally, of course – to come flying through the canopy at a diagonal and carving a rivet into the earth as he skidded several yards. His eyes were scrunched up before he slightly opened his right to stare straight into the slightly curious look of Jiraiya.

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he hopped quickly up. He never was one to just lay around. "Oi! Erosennin! What's the trick here, y'know?" Naruto spotted Shikamaru sleeping a little ways away, and he growled slightly. "And why am I the only one having problems here?!"

"Relax brat," Jiraiya clamped his massive hand over Naruto's head, ruffling the blond hair on top a bit, "That's why I came back here; I could hear your racket fifty yards away. Can't have you declaring our presence to _everyone_, can we?" Jiraiya grinned.

Naruto, however, grimaced. He didn't realize he'd been so loud. Erosennin and Hinata-chan both had tried to enforce the idea that silence was the key to blending in to your surroundings. He, of course, had taken better to Hinata's explanation better than Jiraiya's, but that was all in how they tried to teach him. Shikamaru didn't seem to care. More likely, he just didn't want to waste his breath.

Clapping his hand on Naruto's shoulder to lead him back to the tree, Jiraiya chuckled a bit. "Don't sweat it, kid. This spot's pretty far removed from any normal paths that would be taken. Other than us, no one'll hear you. Just so long as you're not hurt, you can yell all you want. Though it might be better for you to at least _try_ to contain yourself."

Naruto grumbled something under his breath that Jiraiya couldn't catch as he looked back up the tree he'd been attempting to climb. The bark was torn away from his kunai, and, in some spots, his chakra blew away large chunks of the tree itself. "I just don't get why this is so hard, y'know? It's just climbing a damn tree."

"Well, your situation's a bit different from the other two's. Normally the problem would be that you're not putting in enough chakra to allow yourself to cling to the side, but in your case you're putting out _too much_. That's why you're getting blown so far away and causing damage to the tree itself." Jiraiya slapped his hand on the tree and looked up. "It's a somewhat delicate balance for you, so we just have to take it a bit backwards. For right now, we're going to ignore your little outburst about finishing in two hours so we can take this nice and slow for you." Jiraiya smiled down at Naruto, who looked away rather embarrassingly.

"No one ever told me putting in _too much_ was ever a bad thing..." Naruto muttered, still looking away.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me no one ever explained why you weren't able to do a simple _bunshin_?" The sage shook his head in disbelief. "Your sensei at the academy probably just didn't put two and two together..Still, that's rather irresponsible of them."

Naruto turned back to Jiraiya, anger in his eyes. "OI! Don't insult Iruka-sensei like that! He's..He just..He had other things to deal with, y'know?!"

Jiraiya looked shocked at Naruto's outburst. '_This Iruka character must've really rubbed off on the kid._'

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry! Hmm..He probably just didn't want to make you aware of the Kyuu-" Jiraiya's words were cut off as a terrified looking Naruto leaped up onto the tree, and, hanging sideways, clamped his hands over Jiraiya's mouth.

"STOP!" Naruto quickly scanned the area; Shikamaru was still in his sleeping position and Hinata-chan had a look of utter concentration on her face. He took his hands away from Jiraiya's mouth. "S-sorry, Erosennin. That's.."

Jiraiya gazed at the horizontal Naruto for a minute, reading the blond kid's awkward expression. He smiled slightly. "Okay, I get it. You don't want them to know, huh? It is your right, I guess, but you do realize that you're not going to be able to keep that secret for long around them."

Naruto looked slightly despondent. "Er..yeah, I get it. The old man told me as much before we left, y'know? I just..It's too soon, I think."

Jiraiya raised both his eyebrows at Naruto's soft speech before reverting back to just a quirk of a smile. "'Too soon', huh? Well, I suppose. But we're going to have to work on that later, got it? If you don't say something to them about it relatively quickly, who knows what could happen?"

Suddenly Naruto was worried. Was Erosennin implying something? "Wh-what'd you mean? I thought-"

Quickly, Jiraiya tried to ease the awkwardly stuttering Naruto; the brash blond really didn't seem like himself when he was imitating Hinata. "Don't worry about it for now, kid. Nothing's going to happen as long as I'm around. I _will_ have to explain the intricacies of that seal to you, though. It's somewhat...special. In the meantime..." Cracking a grin, Jiraiya continued. "...It's pretty impressive that you managed to practically master tree-walking without thinking about it."

Naruto looked confused at Jiraiya's words. He didn't quite understand what the Sannin was implying. "Whaddya mean, Erosennin? I haven't mastered anyth-" Jiraiya was simply pointing at the ground, which Naruto immediately noticed was directly in front of him. "WHAT?! HOLY SH-"

The kid's words were cut off as he lost concentration and landed face first into the earth. Jiraiya just laughed uproariously while Shikamaru simply opened one of his eyelids.

* * *

About 9 AM the troupe was back on track towards Ame no Kuni. It had taken another forty-five minutes for Naruto and Shikamaru to _really_ master the tree-walking exercise, but all in all Jiraiya was impressed with their efforts. Normally it took about a full day or two before Genin really mastered the technique. He chalked it up to Naruto's accidental understanding of how to limit his chakra and Shikamaru's natural intelligence. Once Naruto got a feel for what had happened, Jiraiya gradually increased the weight Naruto would hold until the kid could properly climb up and down with the heavy scroll attached to his back. The sage understood that Naruto was a practical learner; the kid needed to _see_ and _feel_ how something worked before he _really_ got it. Jiraiya could relate to that.

Hinata had been the _real_ surprise.

No matter how he tried to rationalize it, Jiraiya simply couldn't figure out why Hinata was such a natural at the technique. Sure she had the Hyuuga training and the Byakugan to assist her, but in _that_ amount of time? It was ludicrous. So the sage had set her on some more complicated exercises – she would need them sooner than later – and kept tabs on her through his peripheral vision at all times. Hinata seemed to be getting the hang of it, but from the look on her face it didn't seem that _she_ knew.

"Listen, ojou-chan," Jiraiya had made his way back behind the group where Hinata had been walking, "Looks to me as if you're taking it a bit hard on yourself." The Sannin smiled at the girl, who had been walking with her face to the ground in defeat.

Hinata was startled to hear Jiraiya-sensei speak to her all of a sudden and she quickly looked up at the white-maned man. "J-Jiraiya-sensei! I-I'm so s-sorry. I-If I w-were just a b-better n-ninja I'd g-get it.."

Quirking an eyebrow, Jiraiya chuckled as he rubbed the girl's indigo hair. "What're you talking about? I've never seen anyone complete the tree exercise that fast. No one who wasn't a good ninja could ever have been able to accomplish that feat. You should be proud!"

Hinata just blushed at the contact and praise. No one _ever_ complimented her.

"And about that exercise I'm putting you through: Don't let it bother you too much if you can't see the results of your effort." Jiraiya winked at the girl. "I can tell it's coming to you. It's a delicate technique, but it's one you're going to have to get down pat if we're to go on to the next step. For now, just try to remember what it feels like to draw the moisture in."

"Y-yes, J-Jiraiya-sensei. I-I think I u-understand." Hinata looked back up at the sage with a somewhat confusing look; it had far too many emotions running through it.

Jiraiya, though, just grinned at the small girl. "And never forget: what _truly_ makes a shinobi great is to have the guts to never give up."

Hinata's eyes suddenly hardened with renewed resolve. Jiraiya was somewhat shocked that that's really all it took to solidify her emotions. "Yes, Jiraiya-sensei!" And he was even more surprised to not hear her stutter!

'_There's probably something to that..' _Jiraiya thought in wonder. "Well, ojou-chan, just keep working at it. I'll know when you're ready."

With that, the sage moved back up to his traveling position slightly behind Shikamaru who was in the lead.

Shikamru was silent. Not that that was any surprise.

So when he address Jiraiya-sensei it threw the Ssannin slightly off-guard. "It's pointless, you know. Hinata hasn't the slightest bit of confidence in herself. A few words from you won't get passed that." Shikamaru was convinced in his hypothesis. Hinata was weak and her confidence level was beyond understanding.

"Kid, when you're twelve years old it feels like the world's out to get you. It's kind of a bother, but certainly not a 'pain in the ass' as you're obviously thinking." jiraiya was speaking quietly so Shikamaru could only hear.

"That kid has something special in her. Her family may not have noticed it, but with the right training and encouragement she could be one of the best. Even more so than that Neji Hyuuga I kept hearing about."

Shikamaru sighed,"Whatever you say, sensei." Though he clearly didn't sound convinced.

"Now as for you.." Jiraiya clamped his hand down on the pinapple's head. "You've got other problems."

Shikamaru turned to face the Sannin, confused. "'Problems'? What're you referring to, exactly?"

The solemn face Jiraiya held showed Shikamaru just how serious the situation was.

"You take things for granted. Everything's a 'pain' to you. I know it's your own way of avoiding responsibilities, but that's got to clear up real fast. This training won't go as smoothy if you can't take the time to put forth some effort."

Shikamaru sighed. "Well sorry if I just don't find the things we've been doing as 'exciting' as the other two."

"And that's just the problem; Before too long those two are going to eclipse you in strength and efficiency. We're going to have to work on your work-ethic. I told our ojou-chan just a moment ago, but the truth strength of a shinobi derives from the determination to never give up. Naruto and Hinata don't seem to have this problem, but you – on the other hand – don't seem to grasp that concept."

Shikamaru furrowed his brow at that. "So what if I take things at my own pace? I don't personally care if they rocket past me. I just want to live a life of peace and tranquility."

Jiraiya-sensei turned stern. "You do realize that with that kind of attitude you'd be quickly killed right about now."

Shikamaru halted in mid sentence; Jiraiya-sensei's words definitely had a sort of logic to them that he couldn't refute.

"Therefore, I'm going to attempt to focus your training on more mundane things. Things you would normally refer to as a bother. And if those kinds of words ever escape your lips, hell's to be pay." Jiraiya had an evil glint in his eye.

'_Sigh...Just great...More pointless tasks._'

As if reading his mind Jiraiya continued, "Everthing you're going to be doing is going to try and get rid of that lazy attitude of yours. You'll be doing much more than the other two in terms of run-of-the-will activities: firewood collecting, fishing, scouting, among other things. Trust me, I know how Nara work. I'm going to beat that lazy attitude right out of you because if I don't your teammates will be in grave danger. I know that when push comes to shove you've got it in you, but I need you to be alert at all times. You'd never make it past Genin with that kind of attitude."

He knew he wasn't going to win this argument, so Shikamaru just sighed miserably.

"In the mean time, I want you to start focusing on the rubble we're walking over. Your an earth chakra nature. Try and do what Hinata's doing and focusing on drawing objects in instead of out. Since it's tangible, it shouldn't be too hard for you to get the hang of it."

The student simply nodded as he started his training.

* * *

Naruto was bored.

Actually, that was an understatement, Naruto was sick and tired of everything that was going on around him.

Hinata-chan and Shikamaru both were busy doing chakra exercises that _he_ wanted to do; or at least _thought_ he wanted to do. Instead, he had been trudging along for hours with the weight of the world on his shoulders. 'The weight of the world' being the new name he came up with for the god-forsaken scroll he had attached to his back. Naruto had already bugged and pestered Jiraiya beyond anything that was healthy to teach him some kind of jutsu, but the pervy sage would simply respond by saying '_Is the scroll unlocked? It's not? Then you're not ready yet._'

The blond was disgusted by the scroll. It felt like he was lugging around a huge log on his back that had no use. This was not far from the truth, as Erosennin had said, he couldn't open the stupid thing. Naruto had tried everything he could think of to open it: his hands, fire, sharp objects, etc., etc. Nothing worked, and the kid was becoming incredibly irritated. And, of course, Erosennin wasn't giving him any tips.

"Ooooi, Erosennin! Can't you at least give me _something_ to work with, y'know?! This is getting stupider and stupider by the second!"

Jiraiya sighed for the umpteenth time. "Kid, the whole point of you carrying that thing around is for you to _get used_ to it. Opening it up before you're ready would waste all the work you're putting into it _now_. When you're ready, you'll know."

The blond groaned, again. "But Hinata-chan and Shikamaru are already both doing awesome jutsu practices already, y'know?! Why am I the only one who's gotta lug around dead weight?!"

The sage turned to face Naruto head-on. "The reason Hinata and Shikamaru are performing these exercises is because they're _ready_ and _able_ to perform them. _You, _on the other hand, with your large chakra reserves - and next to zero control over them - have to focus on _other_ things. If the scroll hasn't opened up, yet, that means you're going to have to focus on more chakra control exercises. The tree exercise was just a small step in that direction."

By now, the quartet had crossed the border into Kawa no Kuni. It was obvious by the wildly different flora and fauna surrounding them. Not to mention the gigantic river that could clearly be heard in the distance. For some reason, Naruto held felt a sense of foreboding ever since the river came into hearshot.

"Once we get near the Chikuma River, we'll make camp," Jiraiya mentioned as the group kept walking towards the sound of flowing water, "I'll also start instructing you on the art of water-walking."

Naruto's sense of dread only increased. Jiraiya seemed to sense the kids' hesitantcy.

"Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds." The sage grinned back at his students.

* * *

Freezing, teeth-chattering, and frustrated; the students rushed into their tents in order to dry off so they could hover around the campfire in order to warm their bodies. Shikamaru had originally been put-off by the idea of a fire – smoke would alert anybody in the surrounding area to their presence – but Jiraiya simply waved off the complaints as he unwrapped a scroll and created a smokeless fire.

"You don't travel around the world on a constant basis without learning a few tricks. Smokeless fire is pretty basic; you'll learn how to do it eventually." Jiraiya was already sitting in front of the fire, the flickering flames playing creepy dancing games with his already weird make-up.

"What the hell, Erosennin?! Why'd we have to start this water-walking thing _now_, y'know?! It's _impossible_! Even Hinata-chan is having problems!"

Hinata kept silent. She was already embarrassed as she had had to take off her overcoat in order for it to not weigh her down with the inevitable water that would cover her. Luckily her blush kept most of her face warm despite every other part of her body being frozen solid from the river. Due to her natural affinity with water, she had had an easier time than the other two boys, but walking on water proved to be incredibly difficult due to its constant movement.

Jiraiya just laughed. "Water-walking, even though you're complaining about it, is the best way to learn proper chakra control. Since water is constantly changing it requires you to learn proper balance with your chakra. Without it..well..You end up like you are now." Grinning, the sage continued. "These are the basics, kids. Without'em you won't get very far with more advanced techniques. Sure, I could teach you some basic jutsu, but without proper chakra control all you'd put out are weak attacks that any average shinobi would laugh at and brush off."

The Sannin's face suddenly turned serious. "If you want to continue living in the world of shinobi, you're going to have to be able to take care of yourselves. You've got your teammates, sure, but what if you're separated? What then? The best you could do right now is little better than what a match would do when struck and lit on fire. That includes your shadow techniques, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru's open mouth immediately shut. He had just about to say something about his own skills not really being in the same class. He realized that Jiraiya-sensei wasn't going to be one to help him with his family jutsu. How could he anyway? The sage wasn't a Nara, for crying out loud. That left only the earth techniques he was going to be taught, of which he had next to no knowledge of.

Naruto's ears picked up, however. "Shadow techniques? What the hell're shadow techniques?" He tried to turn his head to Shikamaru when he asked, but found he couldn't. In fact, he quickly learned he couldn't move any part of his body at all. "HEY! What the hell?! I can't move, y'know?!"

Shikamaru just quirked an eyebrow lazily. "That's a shadow technique. _Kage Mane no jutsu._" He stood up and Naruto stood up with him. "I can control your body with my own shadow." He stuck his pinky in his nose, Naruto imitating him, then started performing a goofy dance with Naruto mirroring.

"Huh?! Hey! What the- Oi! Stop it Shikamaru!" Naruto kept flopping around in embarrassing poses while Hinata tried her best to contain her giggles.

Jiraiya, however, didn't contain his own laughter. As Naruto started imitating a monkey Jiraiya practically fell over onto his side from laughing so hard. "AHAHAHAA! A-Alright, Shika-Shikamaru. I-I think he g-gets it." The man could barely talk through his side-splitting laughter.

Shikamaru, grinning slightly, took away his shadow from Naruto's body letting him free. This, of course, lead to Naruto leaping at him and begin wrestling with the pineapple-headed boy.

"Wh—Gerroff me you numbskull!"

"Shut it, pineapple! I'll show you what it's like to not have control of what you look like, y'know?!"

By the time Naruto sat back down in a huff in his original spot, Shikamaru had chopsticks stuck up his nose and into his bottom lip making him look like a deformed monstrosity.

This became far too much for Hinata, who started laughing out loud along with Jiraiya. Naruto, who had never actually heard Hinata laugh before blushed slightly. He couldn't quite place the sound, but it was one of the more amazing things he had ever heard. The blond ate the rest of his meal in silence before all four of them went their separate ways to bed.

* * *

The following day, the squad reached Kaze no Kuni. Jiraiya had never intended for his students to master water-walking in one day, so he had a makeshift boat stored in one of his myriad of scrolls. The kids were still forced to attempt the technique as they rowed across the wide river. When they reached the other side, they were surprised at just how quickly they all dried off.

"It's not a desert for nothing, you know." Jiraiya had said. "Besides, we've got to go this way in order to get to the spot I've got in mind."

Jiraiya had explained that they couldn't just cross the border to Ame no Kuni through Hi no Kuni where the borders aligned. Doing so would place them in a direct path to Amegakure, and that was one place they needed to avoid at all costs if Jiraiya's information was to be believed.''

So instead the group found themselves staring at towering dunes of sand that looked more like sharp mountains than anything else. The sheer sides of the dunes prohibited any thoughts of climbing, and the fact that they were so close together meant that Team Jiraiya was going to have to navigate a veritable maze if they were going to reach the entry point. Apparently this was also the side with the least amount of Ame no Kuni patrols due to the natural defenses lined along the borders.

Around this time, Naruto had the 'ingenious' idea to have a clone of his carry the scroll for him. The thing was starting to wear even his super-high energy down. Jiraiya, however, dispelled the clone almost immediately before sticking the massive tome back on the real Naruto.

"If you can't get used to carrying it yourself, you're just going to end up being a liability later. Learn to take responsibility even if you can't see the immediate reward, brat."

And that was the end of that discussion.

That, of course, didn't stop the exuberant blond from trying to convince Hinata to slide down the steep dunes like a slide. The shy girl hadn't immediately followed the blond, but when he grabbed her wrist she practically lost all control over her body and soon found herself sliding down the sand much faster than any normal slide she had ever experienced as a child. Shikamaru, when invited, simply shrugged and said they should probably just keep going, but Naruto flatly ignored the party-pooper.

This continued for a little bit, with Naruto's clones catching both children before throwing them back up a ways in a sort of endless slide. While Jiraiya found it an interesting, albeit useless, usage of _kage bunshin_ he had to stop the kids eventually. Shikamaru had been right; they needed to keep going if they were going to have enough time to cross the border at the best opportunity.

"Okay, okay. That's enough you two. As much fun as that seems, we have to get to the proper location at the right time. Ame no Kuni's borders are extremely strict and we've got to get to border crossing fairly quickly if we're going to avoid detection." Jiraiya dispelled Naruto's clones so both Hinata and Naruto landed softly at the base of the dunes; Naruto sticking his tongue out and Hinata trying to look only slightly disappointed.

"If the borders are so strict, Jiraiya-sensei, how exactly are we supposed to get across anyway?" Shikamaru asked logically. "We certainly can't just walk across."

Jiraiya winked. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. I've done it before, so we'll just be using the 'Jiraiya Way'."

All three kids looked at each other with just a bit of worry. '_The Jiraiya Way_'? They sincerely hoped it didn't involve toads.

* * *

After about two hours of hopping, the red and green toad spat out four slimy shinobi.

"Ack!" Naruto begin furiously wiping and shaking off the oil and slime that was sticking to his body. "You've _got_ to be kidding me, Erosennin! That was the most disgusting thing I've ever had to deal with, y'know?!" He quickly remembered his 'encounter' with Sasuke. "Okay, _second_ most disgusting thing."

Shikamaru just quietly wiped the gook off himself while simultaneously getting splattered in the face by Naruto's method of removing the gunk. He slowly wiped his face clean. "Naruto, watch where you're aiming you dumbass. This is all ready a pain in the ass to get rid of."

The blond suddenly stopped his violent shaking. "Oh. Whoops. Sorry, y'know? It's just so disgusting!"

Hinata had covered her head with her hood, so she was the least covered. "N-Naruto-kun, t-that isn't v-very n-nice..M-Mr. Toad helped u-us s-so much.." The presumed heiress bent down and patted the toad on the head to the happy gurgle. She smiled kindly as she thanked the toad politely for getting them where they needed to go.

Jiraiya smiled. "See? Our little ojou-chan knows how to treat those that help us out, doesn't she?" He pointed two fingers at the two boys. "You brats could learn a thing or two from her. Besides," Jiraiya looked into the overcast sky, "If it's not raining now..."

Suddenly a downpour occurred wiping the toad's oil off the remaining members, especially Jiraiya who hadn't done a thing about it.

"...There we go. Better get used to it, too; There's a reason they went with the name 'Ame no Kuni'"

"You've got to be _kidding me_, y'know?! First toad gunk then a rainstorm?!" Naruto was fuming. "Anything else you'd like to notify us about, Erosennin?! Like, y'know, random explosions?!"

Just laughing again, Jiraiya shook his head. "In this part of the country that's highly unlikely. Most people congregate down in Amegakure which is a ways southeast of here." The sage looked around at the darkening atmosphere. "Now, we've better hurry. There's a place we've got to reach before it gets completely dark. It'll be our residence for the time being."

The four quickly started running northeast, hoping to find at least some sort of shelter.

However, what they found was far from satisfactory. Even Jiraiya was left speechless.

"What the..What the hell happened here?" Jiraiya looked over the dilapidated building. "It looks like it was blown up.." Jiraiya mused to himself for a minute. '_That might explain the lack of communication those kids gave.._'

The shelter in question was a wreck. Part of the roof was missing and the house itself was overgrown with plant life; as if no one had even taken care or seen the place in decades. Jiraiya found himself frowning at his old, temporary home.

"I don't quite see how this is in any way some sort of 'shelter', Jiraiya-sensei." Shikamaru needlessly pointed out before being clocked over the head by the sage's fist.

"It didn't _used_ to look like this, lazyass. Something must've happened here after I left." The Sannin crossed his arms in concentration.

The area itself wasn't so bad off. Just the house. There was a small lake off to the side where a stone bridge made it's way adjacent to the water. The grass was lush, due to the constant rainfall, and the wide-open space surrounding the area was perfect for any sort of ambush that might occur.

"Well, for now we'll have to make due with what we can." Jiraiya started forming hand signs before placing his hands on the ground. "_Douton: Daichi no Fuseya_!"

Almost instantly, an earthen dwelling erupted from the ground. It was simple and small, but it would do the trick.

"Wh...Wait a second, why didn't you do this before, Erosennin?! If you could've done this the entire time why did we always get stuck in tents, y'know?!" Naruto was already knocking on the wall of the earthen building testing its constitution.

"Because, brat, it's raining. And who knows how much heavier the rain's gonna get. The tents we've got wouldn't be able to handle the strongest of the Ame no Kuni rains."

Hinata was inside the makeshift hut preoccupied with the fact that there was only one room. Jiraiya had followed her inside.

"Don't worry, ojou-chan. I know it's kind of lacking in privacy, but the house that we're going to be using doesn't exactly have much in that regard anyway. You're going to have to get used to it..though.." Jiraiya formed some additional hand signs before some of the wall on the inside expanded creating a very small room. "That'll have to do for now. How about it?" Jiraiya grinned down at his blushing protegé.

"U-um..Y-yes, Jiraiya-sensei. I-It'll be f-fine..I t-think.."

Jiraiya clapped her shoulder. "Good. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. Last time I was in this area I had the same composition of two boys and one girl to deal with. There _is_ a room in the house, but it's about the same size, so this'll have to do for now."

Turning to the other two boys who had just entered and were looking around the barren enclave. "Tomorrow we're going to be working on fixing up that house. This is only temporary; it _is_ made of earth, so the rain will eventually cause damage to the structure. Hopefully the rain won't get too heavy that we spring leaks tonight. In the meantime, settle down, make yourselves as comfortable as you can." The sage looked thoughtful for a moment. "You've got about two hours before I think you should head to sleep. Shikamaru, Naruto: you're playing go. Hinata, since you've at least gotten the grasp of the water exercise I taught you it's time I instruct you on what you should be doing next: Creating water and mist from the air."

Hinata looked stricken. She, of course, could draw water in from actual water sources, but directly from the air? That seemed impossible.

Jiraiya grinned. "Don't let the idea get the better of you. Water is all around us, so it's just a bit more complicated. It's still the same principle. Besides, you're going to have to get _this_ down soon if what I expect to arrive is actually going to get here on time."

Lilac eyes only looked at Jiraiya in confusion as Hinata tilted her head to the side, not having a clue as to what Jiraiya-sensei was talking about.

"You'll see soon enough, ojou-chan." Jiraiya laughed as he started unraveling a scroll with their dinner.

* * *

Side Note: This chapter may be replaced in the future with a better version. I'm somewhat unsatisfied with how it came out, but I kinda just wanted to post it up ASAP. Now I did say I wouldn't put author's notes in the chapters, but good god I'm glad these two chapters are relatively done with. I have a whole new respect for _Seinfeld_. Writing about nothing is incredibly mind-numbing, and I've found that I hate writing traveling chapters more than anything. I didn't burn out like some people may have thought, I just...really hated writing these chapters for some reason. Oh well, I've got a whole bunch of ideas and plans for their stay in Ame no Kuni.

By the way, it _is_ Ame no Kuni, so thanks to all those people who corrected me. My Japanese map for some reason doesn't list the name of the country, it just has a big purple splotch with the name of the Hidden Village in a general area.

Lexicon:

Kawa no Kuni – River Country

Douton: Daichi no Fuseya – Earth Release: Earthen Hut


	7. Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Narutoverse.

_**Chapter 6**_

_Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan_

True to his word Jiraiya-sensei had Shikamaru working practically nonstop from the moment the Nara woke up. In fact, Shikamaru was fully convinced he single-handedly refurbished the run-down house. Hinata had been forced to stay inside the earthen hut in order to keep away from any excess moisture. Jiraiya-sensei had been firm on this, as the heiress needed to perfect the odd pseudo-jutsu the Sannin was trying to teach her as quickly as possible. For what reason, Shikamaru couldn't figure out for the life of him. This irritated him to some extent as he always prided himself on at least _trying_ to stay one step ahead at all times.

Naruto, on the other hand, was busy doing the exact opposite of Hinata: the blond was never dry. The knucklehead had been tasked with focusing solely on the water-walking technique, and – while Naruto was at least making _some_ progress – Shikamaru was slightly worried that the kid was going to catch a cold. Fast. Luckily it was apparently the 'dry' season in Ame no Kuni.

'Dry' being somewhat of a relative term. Rain was still a frequent occurrence, but it would only last for about five minutes before stopping. This at least made patching the roof a much less tiresome job for Shikamaru. The young genius took on the roof first so he could get it out of the way as quickly as possible; the inside was what _really_ needed the work.

The house's innards were a total wreck. Jiraiya-sensei had been right, there really _had _been an explosion of some kind on the inside. The walls, while covered with moss and ivy, bore the tell-tale signs of broken and burnt wood that could only come from an instantaneous ignition. While still not very well versed in the art of _doton_ jutsu, Shikamaru still could create some makeshiftmud patches to stop some of the minor leaks. It was during one of the more extensive plant removal jobs that he came across an odd shelf he had failed to notice beneaththe overgrowth covering the wall.

Two red cards and a card with a cartoonish frog face stared back at Shikamaru. His curiosity peaked, he tore away the brush covering the area for a more proper inspection. Underneath each of the cards were etchings in the wood. While aged and clearly weathered, the names were distinct and readable:

_Nagato Yahiko Konan_

"Who the hell...?" Shikamaru scratched his head in confusion. Jiraiya-sensei had clearly said he'd been here before, but he never specifically mentioned anyone else. _'Are these the kids he was talking about?_'

Intent on figuring it out for himself, Shikamaru began digging around the house for any sort of clue as to the nature of the three former residents. It wouldn't be a good thing if they came back, though because of the state of the house Shikamaru doubted any visitors would be showing up anytime soon.

Poking his way through the various rooms – he was quietly surprised with the deceptively large living area – he noticed that whoever had been here last had left in quite a hurry. The bedrooms, of which there was one on each side of the house, were disheveled and covered in dust and overgrowth that had made its way through the busted windows. It was in the north bedroom Shikamaru found what he thought he was probably looking for: a dirty, olive-green book that was clearly worn and torn through repeated readings.

"'_The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja'_?" Shikamaru flipped the book upside down and back again. "'By Jiraiya'?"

Shikamaru frowned. '_But aren't Jiraiya-sensei's novels the _Icha Icha _series? I've never heard of this one. And it seems so completely out of place compared to those _other _books._' The Nara thought in disgust at the content that he knew the _Icha Icha _series contained. Still, Shikamaru's constant thirst for knowledge led him to hesitantly start flipping through the worn-out book. He halfway dreaded what he'd find inside, but when he started reading various bits and pieces his eyes began widening, and widening, and widening until they could almost pass for a Hyuuga's solid-white eyeballs.

'_This is..._' Shikamaru quickly flipped to the dedication. '_There's that name again; Nagato. What's going on here?_'

Knowing Jiraiya-sensei was busy with Hinata, and Naruto was preoccupied with accidentally learning how to swim, Shikamaru sat on the old, creaking bed and began reading.

* * *

The novel fell to the ground, its pages splayed out randomly. Shikamaru couldn't hold onto it any longer, his hands were visibly shaking. '_There's no way...This can't possibly be coincidence!_' The words he had read seemed to reverberate through his brain, unceasingly. _'If this was really written by Jiraiya-sensei then... Naruto can't ever read this! Not yet, anyway. If he did..._' Well, Shikamaru didn't have to be a genius to know what would happen.

The Nara quickly picked the book back up off the wooden floor and stuck it in a pouch strapped to his waist. Whether he liked it or not, Jiraiya-sensei was going to have to explain some things - to all of them. Putting the thoughts at the back of his mind for the time being, Shikamaru went back to patching up the lodging. He wasn't quite sure what to do with the windows yet, so he just boarded them up for the time being. Once that was taken care of, all that remained was a simple clean-up of the inside.

By the time Shikamaru had finished making the house look livable he begrudgingly admitted to himself that maybe his mother hadn't been such a pain in the ass after all when he had been forced to clean his own house. In that respect he was somewhat proud of the job he had done making what was once a dump of a shack into something a bit more substantial.

Jiraiya slapped the back of a completely unsuspecting Shikamaru. "Hey! Not too shabby! The windows'll need some extra work, but I can handle that. Otherwise, good job, kid!"

Shikamaru, suddenly remembering everything he had discovered, simply grunted in response. He wasn't quite sure how to approach Jiraiya-sensei about everything, yet.

"And whaddya know? The water still works!" Jiraiya had been too distracted seeing his temporary hideout refurbished that he disregarded Shikamaru's reticence.

Following Jiraiya's voice, Hinata shuffled in. Her eyes, which everyone had grown accustomed to being the _henge_'d violet, were wide as she took in her surroundings. "I-it's so c-cute!" Her mouth seemed to hang loose. "J-just like a-a n-newlywed's h-home.." And then she immediately clamped up as a deep blush spread across the middle of her face.

Shikamaru smirked. "Yeah, well, there's a bed off on either side of the lodge, so I doubt it was anything _that_ special." His dark eyes seemed trained on Jiraiya as he spoke. "More like a group lived here for a time. Though I can't figure out a couple things..."

Jiraiya, who had been messing around in the kitchen, seemed to freeze for a moment as if realizing something. And, of course, it was at that moment Naruto came dripping into the house.

"Oi! Erosennin! I got it! At least I think I got it, y'know? I was just standing there, whe-...Hey, what's going on? There's this, like, weird feeling in the air." Naruto sniffed around a bit. "I don't smell like fish, do I? Is that it? That's it, isn't it? I knew I shouldn't've-" The blond was interrupted by Shikamaru whacking him upside the head. "OW! What was that for, y'know?!"

"Shut up for a minute, idiot!" Shikamaru faced Jiraiya down again, who seemed to be trying to disappear the trio of cards from behind his back. "Jiraiya-sensei, what're you doing?"

The Sannin shuffled uncomfortably a bit. "Oh, nothing really. Just...doing a little extra clean-up. That sort of thing." He was clearly sweating.

"So, you're not trying to hide the fact that other people used to live here?" Shikamaru pointed directly behind Jiraiya, though it still looked plainly accusatory. "Like a Nagato, a Yahiko, and a Konan?"

Jiraiya fumbled a bit at the accusation, causing the cards he had gotten off the wall to fall to the ground. "Nagawhat? Yahihow? Konani? No idea what you're talking about." He looked at the ground to see the cards he dropped. "Shit."

"Eh? What's the big deal about a bunch of cards, y'know?" Naruto squinted to try and get a better look. "That have frogs on them. Erosennin, you've got a weird fascination with frogs, y'know?"

Hinata pondered over the froggie cards for a moment. "M-maybe th-they're collectable? I-I know that s-some of the y-younger children c-collect cards for fun..."

"No, they're not anything like that," Shikamaru's frown deepened. "I came across them when I was cleaning, and the cards were clearly assigned a purpose as they were attached to the wall itself."

Jiraiya felt like a complete idiot. How the hell did he forget about these? And if they were still there... then... '_Shit. Shit. Shit._'

Shikamaru started making his way towards Jiraiya. "But the cards themselves weren't the interesting bit." Jiraiya was rapidly trying to come up with some kind of excuse in his head, but nothing was coming if Shikamaru saw what the sage thought he saw. "What was really interesting were the names on the shelf the cards hung over: Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan."

The Nara was standing adjacent to Jiraiya as he placed his hand on the shelf the large man's body was attempting to cover, and then the brown haired boy broke the shelf clean off. It was a lot easier than Shikamaru thought it would be; probably due to the age and weather.

Hinata gasped at Shikamaru's brazen act. She had never known the lazy boy to be so...so...aggressive! But the girl had to admit, she was incredibly curious as to what Shikamaru was implying. Who were these people he kept mentioning? Hinata soon got her answer as the Nara threw the plank to Naruto, who caught it deftly. The blond, who had been standing next to the heiress since he came in, held the board out so both could read the very visible names.

"Hey, he's right! What's the deal, Erosennin? You never said anyone else was here!"

The Sannin rubbed his face trying to think of how to explain this properly. "Yes I did, brat. If you don't remember, I told you I trained three other kids about your age a long time ago in this country; though I guess I never did specify _where_."

Naruto's ire was immediately drained. "Oh. That's right, you did, didn't you?" The blond turned to face Shikamaru. "Oi! Erosennin's right! This isn't that big a deal Shikamaru, y'know?!"

The pineapple-headed boy shook his head at Naruto's outburst. '_It's a bigger deal than you could even imagine, Naruto._' "Yes, it is 'that big a deal'. We have no idea where these people are now, and we're invading their apparent home. Despite the mess of the place, those three definitely lived here for a very long time; far longer than the three years Jiraiya-sensei said he trained those kids. For all we know they could be watching us right now!"

Hearing a loud *_thump*_, Shikamaru looked over to see Jiraiya sitting on the floor with his head tilted up against the wall. "No. They're not watching us. Or maybe they are. Depends on what you think happens when someone dies."

All three of his students found themselves at a sudden loss for words. '_Dead?_'

* * *

Dinner was a solemn affair.

After Shikamaru's confrontation with Jiraiya, the sage had withdrawn into his own world. Instead of explaining the situation, as Shikamaru had hoped, the older man had shuttered himself away in the north bedroom. The Nara boy considered the idea that his sensei probably just needed some time to think to himself. It was the most likely case. So Shikamaru had then asked Naruto to get some fish to eat since the blond apparently had gotten the water-walking technique completed.

Naruto had scrunched up his face with distaste. "You sure about that? They look kinda funky, y'know?"

"Yes, Naruto, I'm sure." Shikamaru had given the other boy a weird look at the 'funky'. "If Jiraiya-sensei and three others lived here for years, the surrounding wildlife _has_ to be edible."

Crossing his arms behind his head, Naruto turned around to head back outside. "Well, alright. But don't complain to me when you get food poisoning."

Shikamaru remembered, at that, that Naruto had been dunked in the lake and rained on for the better part of the day. "Wait, Naruto! You've been constantly soaked all day, aren't you worried about catching a fever?"

Naruto grinned back at Shikamaru. "Nope! Never been sick." The blond scratched his nose idly, "Now that I think about it, that's kinda weird, y'know? Oh well, whatever doesn't kill me!" The blond laughed as he headed outside.

"You know, there's a saying about idiots and colds..." Shikamaru said to no one in particular.

Hinata, who was still in the room, idly poked her fingers together. With no instruction and nothing that seemed to need doing she felt lost. Shikamaru, the only other person in the room with her, noticed her trepidation. "Hey, Hinata. Come here for a minute."

The girl looked up at Shikamaru, confused, but complied. "W-what is i-it Sh-Shikamaru-kun?" A worn-out book was placed in Hinata's hands. She looked at it as if not knowing what to do. "Wh-What is this?"

"It's..." Shikamaru was actually at a loss for words as to how describe the book. "Let's just say you'll realize what it is when you read it. Jiraiya-sensei wrote it."

Hinata immediately blushed. "I-I c-can't r-read s-something l-l-like th-that!" The heiress tried forcing the book back into Shikamaru's hands.

"Don't worry, it's nothing like his other books." Shikamaru scratched his nose in embarrassment. "It's...actually pretty good. But I need you to know something beforehand." The Nara boy suddenly became very serious. "Naruto cannot, I repeat _cannot_, read this. Keep it hidden from him at all costs. I'm going to go over it once more, mark some things down, and then give it back to you. But, for now just go over it quickly. Don't force yourself to finish it yet."

The indigo maiden was confused. "B-but why?" Embarrassment swept over her. "N-Naruto-kun...h-he _can_ r-read, can't he?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but still grinned at the girl's naivete. "Of course he can read. You'll find out why he can't see that book when you're done with it. For now, though, I think it'll help you out. Just go into the other bedroom and no one'll interrupt you."

Hinata nodded, unsure of what Shikamaru meant, but quietly secluded herself in the other room.

'_Now then_..._What's to be done now?_' Shikamaru looked around the area before deciding that a nap would be the best thing he could do at the moment. He loved naps.

* * *

The Sannin was laid out on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The dried tears that stuck to his face felt uncomfortable, but he ignored them. '_How could I have been so _stupid_?_" His hand rubbed his face for what was the umpteenth time. Jiraiya knew he'd have to explain the three kids he had trained to his new students at some point, but now just seemed too...well, way too early. Shikamaru had been far too quick to catch these things, and the sage mentally noted that the brown-haired boy was no longer allowed to go into any of his secret spots before the sage did.

Was it just the getting older part that caused his lack of judgment? That could certainly be the case. It hadn't even occurred to him that the cards were still on display, let alone the cards even existed in the first place. He had absolutely, completely, and utterly forgotten about their existence from the beginning. And now he was paying the consequences.

His ultimate failure was now the huge elephant in the room. A giant elephant that only he could see, which made it all the more awkward and frustrating. The prophecy he had been given had been false; Nagato had died and with it any change to the world of shinobi. Jiraiya chuckled a bit at that. He'd been so blind. Rinnegan or not, Nagato was still human. The sage sighed heavily as he sat back up on the bed.

"Though, it is odd now that I think about it...those kids are eerily similar to the ones I've got now..." Jiraiya scratched the back of his head. "Well, enough sulking and moping around. This isn't like me;time to face the music as it were."

The sage stood up tall and proud, though inside he still felt incredibly vulnerable and hesitant. As he reached the door he could hear laughing and joking coming from the other side. The sage smiled a bit to himself as he made his way into the living quarters.

* * *

"Oi! Erosennin! You've gotta try this funky fish! It looks disgusting but it tastes fantastic! I was surprised when Hinata-chan said she could cook, but I didn't know she could make the worst looking thing ever into some of the best testing food ever, y'know?! I mean, it still doesn't hold a candle to ramen, but it's pretty awesome!" Naruto was trying hard to express his pleasure without spitting food all over the place. Hinata, meanwhile, was trying very hard not to look up from the table at all the praise headed her way.

"Naruto's right, Hinata, this really is amazing. You must've spent a lot of time training to cook at the Hyuuga household, am I right? Shikamaru asked through bites of his own food.

Hinata hesitantly nodded. "I-it's p-part of m-my private l-lessons on how to b-be a pr-proper w-w-w-w-...ife." The girl barely whispered the last part, and so no one really heard her, to her immense relief.

"Hmmm? So our little ojou-chan isn't just a little princess is she? This I've got to test out myself," Jiraiya grinning all the while, sat down and split his chopsticks before digging in. "Holy crap! They weren't kidding!" Jiraiya winked at Hinata, "You're going to make someone a very lucky man one of these days, ojou-chan."

Hinata's blush intensified to the point where she could practically feel the heat from her head escaping.

Dinner continued on in such a way for a bit, jokes cracked, compliments given, but Shikamaru clearly felt that Jiraiya-sensei was avoiding the huge issue that had yet to be resolved. Luckily, he didn't have to broach the subject himself; he was tired of being the instigator in all this and it was giving him a massive headache.

"So I'm guessing you all still want to know more about those three kids I taught, huh?" Jiraiya said, finishing his meal. "It's really nothing that special, to be honest."

Shikamaru seriously doubted Jiraiya-sensei's cavalier response, but decided against pressing the matter if the sage was bringing it up himself.

Hinata, being the proper lady that she was, wiped her mouth with a napkin before setting her utensils down and listening. Naruto, meanwhile, was still stuffing his face; Hinata couldn't get over how cute he looked while eating though she knew most probably thought it was slightly sloppy and somewhat disgusting.

"To be honest, those three weren't so dissimilar to you guys." Jiraiya looked over the three in turn, "Yahiko was a very excitable kid. A lot like Naruto, in fact. He was constantly striving to become stronger, though his reasons were a bit more...well, noble than the blond knucklehead's."

"Hey!" It was all Naruto could get out before Hinata gave him a look of reproach for talking with his mouth full. The blond quickly stopped.

Jiraiya grinned at the interaction. '_At least someone can control that kid_.' "Anyway, Nagato was a lot like Hinata in a way, though Nagato was a boy. He was very quiet and reserved initially. He hardly spoke anything unless Yahiko or Konan would force him to. Despite that, Nagato showed the most promise of all of them. As for why...Well, that's not really important right now. Don't think about it too much." The Rinnegan was not something the sage wanted to be common knowledge among these three. It might ruin any drive they may have, especially comparing Nagato to Hinata.

"As for Konan, she was the voice of reason for the two boys. A lot like Shikamaru is to you guys. She was definitely their main source of strategy and both boys did their best to protect her, no questions asked." Jiraiya seemed to be distracted for a moment, "I wonder what she would've looked like now...She was certainly going to be a stunning beauty...What a shame..."

All three students looked at Jiraiya-sensei with a various mixture of disdain, embarrassment, and weird faces.

The sage suddenly realized he said the last part out loud. "W-well, I mean, I'm only thinking of her future, you know? It's important to grow up right and proper, you see?" The looks remained. "She was twenty years younger than me! It's not like I was going to ask her out you idiots!" His face was red-hot.

"Right, whatever Jiraiya-sensei." Shikamaru still had his doubts. "So what happened to them? You said they died?"

Jiraiya coughed. "Yes, well...It wasn't until about ten years after I left them when I received a notice from one of my messenger toads stating they had died against Hanzou, the former leader of Amegakure." The Sannin suddenly took on a more somber look. "When I heard this...I didn't know what to think. You see, when I was younger, I was given a...well, a mission of sorts. I was told that by traveling the world I would come across a student who would greatly change the world of shinobi. Whether good or bad, I don't know, but when I came across those three I had become convinced of one thing: Nagato was that child."

Shikamaru and Hinata both suddenly recalled the dedication in '_The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja_'. They both tried to stay as neutral as possible, trying not to let anything slip.

"So when I heard that he had died...I felt that all my work up to that point was fruitless. With him dead, I came to realize that I had failed at the most important task that had ever been given to me." Jiraiya's words were soft, but held such despair and longing that the three children couldn't find it in them to respond. They had never seen their sensei like this – as if the man had aged several years in the span of a few seconds.

Surprising everyone with his toothy grin, the Sannin looked at the dinner table, "So, this is raw." He took another bite. "Yeah, definitely raw. Why didn't you guys cook it, huh?"

Hinata had shaken her head. "N-no...N-none of us k-know any _Katon_ jutsu and a-all the m-matches are wet..."

With a few quick and signs, the Sannin cooked the fish with a very mild _Katon _jutsu. "That should take care of that, then. You know, you _can_ eat the fish around here raw like we have been, though I prefer it to be cooked myself."

No one responded, but all four continued eating the nearly burnt fish. It definitely wasn't better when lit on fire.

* * *

After Jiraiya had joined his students for dinner, the mood lightened up considerably. The sage went on and on about his previous three students – sharing stories, laughing at the various antics Naruto would pull, and all in all enjoying himself. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off of his heart, and Jiraiya was, for the first time in a long while, having genuine fun. He hadn't even realized he had a few tears sliding down his face until Hinata brought it up.

"U-um...J-Jiraiya-sensei, i-is there s-something the matter?" The girl looked genuinely concerned as she looked at the man.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Jiraiya suddenly felt the wet stickiness of his tears. He quickly rubbed the few drops away. "No. No, nothing's the matter, ojou-chan. I'm just...how to put it...happy, I guess?"

"Haffy?" Naruto asked with a mouth full of food.

"N-Naruto-kun, i-it isn't polite t-to talk w-with your mouth f-full..." Hinata twiddled her fingers together, still feeling rather awkward when instructing Naruto on his mannerisms.

The blond swallowed his food immediately. "Sorry about that, Hinata-chan. I'll...y'know...try better at that." The boy flashed an ear-splitting grin at Hinata causing her face to light up like a lamp. Naruto took no notice, but turned back to Jiraiya, "What'd you mean 'happy', Erosennin? You were crying a second ago, y'know? You only cry when something's wrong."

Jiraiya burst out laughing at the idea, but stopped after realizing that the kid probably had never experienced crying from joy. "Kid, crying isn't just for when you're sad or angry. You cry when you're overcome by emotions; good or bad. In this case, I was subconsciously crying from being happy." The sage grinned at his pupil. "You'll find out one day. I promise."

Still looking slightly unconvinced, Naruto continued eating. "But what're you so happy about, Erosennin?" He took care to not talk with any food in his mouth.

"Just seeing you guys, I guess. Sitting here, eating, talking about nothing important at the moment; it all reminds me of the days I was here with Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko. It's as if I were reliving a very pleasant dream of days gone by." The Sannin smiled wistfully. "When you get older, you realize that nothing lasts forever, and when certain events take place more than once...It really is a miracle of sorts to us old folk."

"Mmmm...I think I get it, y'know? Still, it's kinda weird to think about. I mean, you barely know us."

"I suppose that's true, kid. But when I place my previous students over my new ones it makes it seem like I've known you for years." Jiraiya certainly didn't want to tell Naruto that he _had_known him for years; he was quite afraid of the backlash he would receive.

Shikamaru saw fit to interject at that point, "But we're not the same people, Jiraiya-sensei. You shouldn't assume that we'll wind up like our senior students. For all you know we could be worse..." The look Naruto gave him forced the other boy to amend his statement, "...or better."

Jiraiya crossed his arms, taking a moment to think. "No, you're right, Shikamaru. You three certainly aren't those three. Still, it's just something old folks like me do every once in awhile. Seeing new generations pop into existence time and again, we've seen very similar people who have nothing to do with the others they resemble. It's not definitive, by any means, but it does give me some hope." The sage's smile returned. "And also some ideas. But that's for another time."

Team Jiraiya had by now finished their meal and were cleaning up as Jiraiya began issuing some orders. "Naruto, Shikamaru, you're going back to playing 'go' until Naruto can beat you, got it Shikamaru?"

The brown-haired boy nodded as the blond groaned in despair. Naruto knew there was nothing he could do to get around it if he were to finally get a chance at that crazy jutsu Jiraiya had pulled off.

The Sannin turned to Hinata. "Now, ojou-chan. We're going to focus hard on the exercises I gave you, and I'll be lending you my assistance the entire time to help speed the process along. We're going to be paid a visit by a contact of mine in about a week, and by then you should have this practice fully mastered."

"Y-yes s-sir, J-Jiraiya-sensei." Hinata bowed to the Sannin as both started walking to a side of the room by themselves. Meanwhile, Shikamaru got the 'go' set out and laid it between himself and Naruto.

"Don't hold back now," Shikamaru smiled wryly as Naruto stuck his tongue out at the Nara boy.

By the time the room arrangements had been made, the kids were barely able to keep their eyes open. It had been a tiring day, what with the cleaning, the training, and the serious conversations. Hinata, of course, had been given the south room; as a girl she pretty much had to have a space for herself. Naruto and Shikamaru, through a few rounds of intense janken, had decided that Naruto would get the north room – much to Naruto's relief. His subconscious need for the sight and glow of the moon in order to sleep had become a strong incentive for the blond. Shikamaru and Jiraiya were both in the main room, with the table propped up against a wall. Luckily, some dusty old futons were still lying in the closets so neither was forced to create a haphazard bed.

Shikamaru waited patiently for the sounds of Jiraiya's deep breathing – something close to snoring in his opinion – so that he could take out the book he had been given back by Hinata before dinner. When the boy had speed-read through the novel the first time he was simply looking for information. After he found what he was looking for, he realized that the book itself was actually pretty good. Far better than Jiraiya-sensei's more infamous _Icha Icha_ series.

The creased and worn pages made the book very easy to keep quiet. Not a sound could be made as Shikamaru flipped through the novel. It was the first time in...well, to be honest, Shikamaru couldn't remember the last time he had read for pleasure. Sure he had read books on strategy and tactics his father forced on him as well as general textbooks, but Shikamaru never liked reading in the first place. He much preferred laying on his back and staring at the clouds, letting his imagination do all the work for him.

And so Shikamaru delved into _The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja_. It was rather exciting to the boy. The novel had everything one could ever want from a story: action, intrigue, romance of the basest sense, and a hero that never, ever gave up. It _was_ odd that the hero of the novel never had a name until the final pages. Though, in this way, the reader (Shikamaru) was able to project himself into the role as if he were the protagonist of such a story. The Nara found himself riveted by the book. He was unable to set it aside despite trying to convince himself to find a stopping point several times.

The lines of the novel held such detail, such intricate devotion, that Shikamaru gradually came to understand the hidden nature of the book: It was literally a secret biography of Jiraiya-sensei. When the boy came to this conclusion, he had to set the novel down for a moment to consider it. '_Why would Jiraiya-sensei create a novel like this? Why not just write a biography?_' As Shikamaru continued to think, he could only come up with one solution: '_The book was intended to be read by several specific people. These people weren't supposed to know about Jiraiya's life, they were supposed to know the underlying message of the book: How does one achieve peace for the shinobi world?_'

Shikamaru turned his head slightly to look at the sleeping man. '_Who was he entrusting this to? It's dedicated to Nagato, but that can't have been the only person. The main character is also named __Naruto...But this was written long before the Naruto we know was born. Maybe his parents? Does Jiraiya-sensei know who Naruto's parents were? No one else seems to, but it's only logical. Why else would Naruto have that name? It's too coincidental._' Being the Nara he was, Shikamaru looked up at the ceiling and thought to himself. And continued to think. The thoughts and arguments passing through his brain were akin to a hurricane. This one book held so much, yet nothing could really be taken from it unless one asked Jiraiya himself about the novel.

Shikamaru certainly wasn't going to do that just yet; who knew what could happen if he did? Instead, the boy started making notations on the margins, and underlining passages he thought might be important for Hinata. At the same time he didn't fail to notice her own penmanship addressing passages she felt were important for her own use. Once he was finished, he was surprised to see how many hours he had spent pouring over the old book. He let out a small laugh. '_Never give up, huh?_' He shut the book and rolled over, trying to at least get some rest.

'_What a pain in the ass._'

* * *

At the tallest point in Amegakure, there was a dark room. For all intents and purposes, it seemed completely useless. Not a person was visible, it was too dark, and there were no furnishings other than the pipes that wound all around the walls and a small circular indention in the center of the floor.

"You are aware then?" The female voice was all the indication that someone was present.

"Yes. Though I imagine he also knows at least something. He isn't a fool," the male voice responded, again the only indicator of a presence.

"Then why not just go and grab it? It's literally in our house."

"First, the time isn't right. We have yet to go completely public. Second, with Jiraiya there, it poses a significant deterrent." The male voice was deep and monotone, not betraying a single emotion or thought. "Despite his age he is still one of the most premier ninja in the world. Only two of us have the capability to take him on, myself and Madara. However Madara wishes to remain in the shadows as 'Tobi' still. He is busy with his...other machinations." The male voice seemed to hesitate. "I do not wish to proclaim myself to Jiraiya as such. If I were to do so, too much information would be leaked and we are still in the infancy of our plot. No, we wait, Konan. Besides, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is but a child. Even with Jiraiya's help it wouldn't mean anything in the end."

"I understand, Pain. So what do you propose we do while we wait?" The female voice, Konan, asked just as monotonously as the male.

"As I said, we wait."

With a flash of lightning in the background illuminating the room for a moment, an orange-haired man with bizarre eyes stood staring out the hole in the wall.

"We wait, but we also send our greetings. It is only polite to greet those in your home."

* * *

_Janken_: Also known as Jan-Ken-Pon. The Japanese version of Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Also, this is the first chapter to be properly edited and beta'd, so a heartfelt thanks goes out to Ashimodo for the work he did in helping me out.

Another thing: Ashimodo pointed out a couple times that Jiraiya isn't exactly acting like...well...Jiraiya in this chapter. That is true. He isn't acting like the Jiraiya we know from the manga/anime, but this is the Jiraiya going through a mid-life crisis in this story. I've been through a quarter-life crisis (apparently it's a fairly recent happening among twenty-somethings) and so I know what it's like somewhat to go through that kind of existential crisis. Jiraiya is acting pretty normal if not better than normal in regards to that. Just thought I'd put that out there before I get a bunch of messages saying Jiraiya's too OOC.


End file.
